Posts from the “SW Quadrant” Category
02/12/2009 1 Comment

South West Quadrant: Appeal is to be heard at West Bay

BELOW is the official proclamation about the time and place of Haywards’ appeal against West Dorset District Council’s refusal of permission for the re-development of the South West Quadrant in Bridport. The appeal will be at the West Bay Holiday Park (the Park Dean caravan site) and it will run from January 26 – 28, 2010.

Haywards originally applied in conjunction with West Dorset District Council, and most people thought for a while that, because of this, no appeal could take place against district councillors’ refusal to give permision – because how could the council appeal aganst a decision made by its own councillors? But Haywards argued, among other things, that it would be a breach of their human rights if they were to be forever tied to the district council, and thereby deprived of some of the powers that land-owners are normally entitled to exercise over their own land – such as the power to seek to develop it. Hence, this appeal is being made by Haywards alone. 

Now, all of this raises one very interesting question that I don’t currently know the answer to: if Haywards win this appeal, who will pay the costs of it? I don’t know much about the costs of appeals, but I’d be surprised if this one ends up costing less than £10,000. It could be much more.

Planning inspectors have some powers to decide who should pay costs, depending (for example) on whether appellants ask for an order to pay costs to be made against a planning authority. I wonder, in this case, if Haywards do win, and if West Dorset District Council is asked to pay costs, how the council would feel about having to stump up for an application which it was originally part of?

Would it be regarded as a financial embarrassment  - or a price worth paying for getting the go-ahead for re-development?

And what would council tax-payers think?             

APPEALS UNDER SECTION 78 OF THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990

Notice is hereby given that the appeal, as listed below, has been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate against the West Dorset District Council’s refusal of the following application.

The following appeals will proceed by way of an Inquiry:

Appellant: Hayward & Co

Development:

1. Develop land by the erection of 175 dwellings, 1,814 square metres of new commercial floor space (including use classes A1 (Shops), A3 (Restaurants and cafes), B1 (Business), a taxi office and a new bus station with associated office). Refurbish all remaining buildings and create new vehicular and pedestrian accesses. All correspondence should quote the reference APP/F1230/A/09/2113294/NWF and WDDC ref. 1/D/2008/000574.

2. Demolish Cafe Royal and attached retail units, public toilets, garages behind public toilets, bus stop, Unit 94 St Michaels Trading Estate, Burwood Annex, Units 33-38 and 52-54 St Michaels Trading Estate, Stover Building, cattle market sheds (units 2A & 137A) and part Bridport Industries (North).All correspondence should quote the reference APP/F1230/A/09/2113294/NWF and WDDC ref. 1/D/2008/000576

Location: SOUTH WEST QUADRANT/ST MICHAELS TRADING ESTATE, ST MICHAELS TRADING ESTATE, BRIDPORT, DT6 3RE

The Inquiry will be held on the 26th –  28th January 2010 starting at 10.00am, at West Bay Holiday Park (Park Dean), Forty Foot Way, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 4HB.

Copies of the appellant’s grounds of appeal and the Council’s reasons for refusal can be inspected at the Council’s Offices at the address below or at Mountfield, Rax Lane, Bridport.

Should you require a copy of the “Guide to taking part in planning appeals”, please telephone this office and one will be sent to you free of charge.

The Planning Inspectorate will only circulate the decisions to those who request a copy. 
01/12/2009 1 Comment

South West Quadrant: regeneration “worth £5 million a year to Bridport if completed” – or half that?

Note: This article is being republished because a mysterious technical problem was preventing it from being read in its original position on this site and I know from emails I’ve received that people want to be able to read it. It has been very slightly revised for clarity in a couple of places.

The time and the place of the appeal hearing into the South West Quadrant has not yet been officially confirmed by the Planning Inspectorate but it looks likely it is going to be held in the hall at the caravan park in West Bay on January 26 – 28, 2010.

Disclosure: Since this piece was first published, I have started to work part-time as Secretary to the Board of Local Food Links Limited, which supplies meals to local primary schools from its base at the Centre for Local Food on St Michael’s Trading Estate, on the South West Quadrant. However, I have not discussed the future of the South West Quadrant with anybody at Local Food Links, nor have I heard it spoken about it by anybody else. It is also worth noting that my job as Secretary is not to contribute towards the formation of any policy that Local Food Links might develop about this issue; that is the directors’ job.

MORE than 200 jobs will result from the regeneration of the South West Quadrant in Bridport.

That’s the controversial conclusion reached by consultants working for Haywards and West Dorset District Council, who both own land in and around the St Michael’s Trading Estate – and who both want to see it redeveloped. Objectors argue that any benefits could be significantly less than those claimed by Haywards and WDDC.  

Plans for new business opportunities and for 175 new homes (114 open-market, 61 “affordable”) have twice been rejected by councillors unhappy about what might happen to the people and buildings of a historic part of Bridport.

An appeal against the plans’ refusal will be heard by a planning inspector next year (in a three-day hearing currently due to start on January 26). Objectors are seeking funds to hire a lawyer; supporters are arguing for the scheme’s benefits and defending their motives in pressing ahead with it.

What could the benefits be?

Consultants at Goadsby Town Planning estimate “that the net number of direct and indirect jobs derived from the development will be 206.

“By applying the average wage in the District of £24,000 to the total number of direct and indirect jobs, it can be estimated that £5 million will be generated per annum in income upon completion of the development.

“Much of this will be spent within the local economy, along with the spending generated through those 175 households occupying the dwellings on the development.”

Consultants reckon that 175 households could mean 383 residents (2.19 per household). They add: “Taking the average district income of just over £24,000, the combined income (assuming one average wage per household) of those living on the development could be £4.2 million. After mortgage, rent, tax and other essential outgoings, a significant amount of additional spend will occur in the town.”

Goadsby’s report also estimates that between 70 and 95 construction workers will be employed for five years on the Quadrant redevelopment in Bridport.

Objections

One of the reasons protestors want to hire an expert is to probe calculations like those put forward by Goadsby. The consultants’ sums are based on approved methods for working out impacts on matters like jobs (for example, they use English Partnerships’ Standard Approach to Assessing the Additional Impact of Projects Method Statement, Second Edition, 2004) but objectors say that guidelines can obscure practical matters of fact.

Figures given to Goadbsy by architects Morgan Carey suggest there are 112 people working on the South West Quadrant. If you include them in the suggested total of 206 jobs, isn’t the actual total of new jobs 206 minus 112, that is 94? And 94 times the average wage of £24,000 is £2,256,000, not £5 million.

More questions. Would those 112 people actually be able to carry on working on the St Michael’s Trading Estate? If not, would they be able to go elsewhere? If there isn’t anywhere else, what then?   

Kit Glaisyer, one of the 25 artists currently based in St Michael’s Studios, says: “If this goes ahead I will be thrown out of my studio.”

He doesn’t know where else he could go. St Michael’s Studios could be partly converted into 11 live-work units, but Mr Glaisyer says they’d just be “nice apartments, really”. Studio space would be reduced to a quarter of what it is now. “You can’t squeeze 25 artists into a quarter of the space there was. It’s a nonsense.”

Mr Glaisyer argues that the SW Quadrant is already an entrepreneurial area, offering small businesses “affordable incubation units”. Introduce 175 new households, and that spirit will go.  

“As soon as you bring residential units onto an industrial estate, you’ve lost it for ever.”     

Will West Dorset District Council make money from developing its South West Quadrant land?

In the past, the district council has made money from developing land for sale. Gore Cross Business Park, on the northern edge of Bridport, was established in the mid-1990s in partnership with Dorset County Council and the Rural Development Commission (since absorbed into the South West Regional Development Agency). The council’s main aims were to provide space for local businesses to expand and to generate returns to keep council tax levels down.

The last unoccupied plot at Gore Cross was sold last year to Top Gear for a new £250,000 headquarters. Top Gear is moving from the South West Quadrant. The company’s boss was concerned about what might happen there in the future.

The district council insists it will not make any money from the redevelopment of the South West Quadrant. David Evans, director of planning and community services, says: “There has been a huge amount of consultation on the principle of developing this site.

“The vast majority of people who took part in the consultation thought this was a good idea.

“West Dorset District Council will not gain financially from this development if it goes ahead. In fact it will require substantial public subsidy to bring this development forward.

“This part of Bridport has immense significance in terms of heritage and history as a centre for rope and net making. Some of the buildings are decaying and need sensitive repair.

“This scheme would achieve  this, safeguard local employment and deliver about 60 affordable homes.

“Affordable housing is always mentioned by local people whenever we ask them what their top priorities are.

“However, the decision will now be made by an independent planning inspector.”

The level of public subsidy required is estimated to be at least £2 million.
06/11/2009 No comments

South West Quadrant: fighting-fund update

AS OF Friday November 6, £500 has been donated to the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate appeal for funds to fight controversial plans for the redevelopment of a historic part of Bridport.

The Friends are hoping to raise a total of £1,500 to pay for a lawyer to represent them at an appeal early next year into proposals for the South West Quadrant.

Contributions towards the £1,000 still required can be left in collections boxes at these shops in Bridport - Leakers Bakery, Fruits of the Earth, and Cornucopia Vintage: also at Bridport Arts Centre. Cheques can be made payable to the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate.

For more details about the South West Quadrant, see the story on this site titled South West Quadrant: fighting-fund plea. Or clicking on this link will take you straight to it.
05/11/2009 No comments

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the artist’s hat

ARTISTS in and around Bridport and Beaminster are preparing for the first Open Studios event to be held in November.

The initiative –  which runs from November 14 -22 – has been timed to coincide with the Bridport Literary Festival, the countertext09 exhibition and events, and (whisper it) the approach of Christmas.

nov-open-poster-web2-kit-glaisyer

The move to engage the public in appreciating and buying art is also meant to form part of the campaign against the proposed redevelopment of the South West Quadrant in Bridport.

Half of the 28 artists taking part in the Open Studios event are from St Michael’s Studios on the St Michael’s Trading Estate in the South West Quadrant.

“We would,” says a collective statement from artists involved, “appreciate your support for the historic St Michael’s Trading Estate which is under threat from an unpopular redevelopment.

“The trading estate is home to a vibrant community of light industry, traditional crafts, antiques and an eclectic mix of businesses. It is dearly loved as the cultural heart of Bridport.”

West Dorset District Council, one of the partners involved in the possible reshaping of the SW Quadrant, insists that its plans for new homes, and fresh commercial opportunities, are sensitive and well-supported.

Artists taking part in Open Studios are:

  • At St Michael’s Studios – Kit Glaisyer, Caroline Ireland, David Brooke, Philomena Harmsworth, Prue Heward-Morgan, Paul Richmond-Derby, John Rabbetts, Marion Taylor, Sally Davies, Jemma Thompson, Alessandro Botto, Ian Dunn, Marion Irons
  • In and around Bridport – Wendy Poole, Colin Granger, John Stevens, Antony Dover
  • Mangerton – Michael Chappell
  • Powerstock – David Risk Kennard
  • Beaminster – Brian Cocks, Roy Barrett, Betty Paulson
  • Chideock – Annalisa Renee
  • Fishponds – Greta Berlin
  • Marshwood – RL Hollands
  • Abbotsbury – Mary-Clare Buckle, Debbie Veitch, John Meaker

Opening times are normally 10am-5pm, but may vary. Some artists are also not open every day. For more details, look out for the leaflets being distributed around West Dorset.
04/11/2009 No comments

South West Quadrant: Fighting-fund plea

Editor’s Note: This is arguably the most important and controversial issue in Bridport. This initial note explains  some of the story so far.

THE SOUTH WEST QUADRANT of Bridport is the old quarter of town roughly bounded by the River Brit to the west, West Street to the north, South Street to the east and St Mary’s church to the south. Precise definitions vary.

The area began to be developed in the late 18th century. It continued to expand up until the middle of the 20th century. It encapsulates a major part of Bridport’s industrial history, as Mike Williams writes in the English Heritage book Bridport and West Bay: The Buildings of the Flax and Hemp Industry (2006):

“In spite of extensive demolition and alteration, intact examples of all the building types of the local flax and hemp industry still survive in the area, including open and covered walks, warehousing, workshops, mills and housing.

“The South West Quadrant is one of the earliest industrial suburbs in the country and is now the best illustration of the distinctive townscapes created by the expansion of Bridport from the late 18th century.” 

West Dorset District Council, which owns part of the Quadrant, has long wanted to redevelop the area for new commercial uses and for housing. A planning application, made jointly with another major landowner, was turned down in August 2009. An appeal against this decision has been lodged.

Objectors – and there are many – want to continue their so-far successful fight against what’s proposed by raising funds for a lawyer to fight at the appeal hearing next year.

Now read on…      

An Open Letter from the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate (on the SW Quadrant)

 

IT HAS become evident that our district council, as co-owner of the SW Quadrant, is determined to impose an urban development on Bridport without the usual regulations, consideration for heritage, or community, or involvement from anyone in Bridport. Consequently we believe it is essential to attain legal representation, which is estimated to cost £1,500.

You Can Help

Please help preserve the character of Bridport by donating. There are collection boxes at Leakers bakery, Bridport Arts Centre, Fruits of the Earth and Cornucopia Vintage. Cheques can be made payable to Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate.

Your donation may help to prevent:

  • Even less parking than at present
  • More traffic congestion in town
  • 5-storey blocks of flats
  • Coaches redirected out of town
  • A reduced bus station
  • The demolition of Historic buildings
  • The loss of St Michael’s Community of tradesmen, retailers, craftsmen, artists, designers, the South West’s only indoor skate arena, etc, etc…

Urgent

To help prevent the high impact development in Bridport’s SW Quandrant please write down your objections and send three copies, by the 17th November 2009, to:

The Planning Inspectorate,
Room 3 / 19a Temple Quay House,
2 The Square,
Temple Quay,
BRISTOL
BS1 6PN

and quote ref APP/F1230/A/09/2113294, and WDDC ref 1/D/08/000574

For each person that registered support for the Quadrant development in May there were 43 who registered opposition (131 against and three in support).

At the second development control meeting in August, more than thirty Bridport residents spoke against the proposal to a packed hall (while many were not permitted to speak), with only two in support. More than 1,500 people have signed a petition demanding that the development should be restricted to 80 dwellings (as was the recommended quantity for this site), and that the existing trading community should be preserved.

Local plan policy DA5 states that new buildings should not detract from the character of the surrounding area, and views of local landmarks or hills should not be significantly infringed

If the demolition or refurbishment of premises does not succeed in killing off established businesses, then the allocation of just one parking space for each business certainly should do the job.

The district council, who can in this case process their own proposal, have chosen to circumnavigate all normal regulations in order to cram in as many flats as possible into a convenient brown field site in the heart of Bridport. WDDC officers, who are happy to destroy our local businesses and our heritage just to fix short-term quotas, without a care for a town of exceptional character, are making a big mistake.

Anyone can see that if you prevent the arrival of coaches to a town centre and also reduce parking facilities and traffic flow you cannot claim to be ‘regenerating’ anything other than the flow charts of the district council and developers’ rear pockets. Housing is needed in West Dorset yes, but the scale of this development shows no consideration for the impact on Bridport, its past or its future.

There is, additionally, growing concern for the hundreds of teenagers who currently enjoy and are developing skills at the only indoor BMX arena in the South West here in Bridport:  an example of how a historic net-making warehouse can be used to the benefit of the whole community. This historic building, the ‘Stover’, has been targeted for demolition to make way for a 5-storey block of flats.

Help preserve the character of Bridport!

Thank you – Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate

(Editor’s Note: This letter has been lightly edited to ensure greater consistency with the stylistic rules of this website. The sense of the words has not been altered).