Wednesday 6 March 2013

Relief in sight for Local residents


Westmoreland residents can feel a sigh of relief as the council approves its core Strategy.

The Bath Press site that has been subject to a Tesco hypermarket planning application has had its designation changed in the emerging Core Strategy to a site of mixed development with an allocation for over 100 new homes.

"This element of the Core Strategy makes a huge hypermarket on the Bath Press site very unlikely says Westmoreland ward councillor Sharon Ball, but it still leaves room for a modest size store that would be more in keeping with the area".

The Core strategy was approved by a full Council of Bath & North East Somerset on Monday night that included housing growth figures of 12,700 new homes to be built by 2029, with an element of over 3,000 affordable homes.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Sarah Moore said: "I have always thought that there was a need for a modest store on this side of the City and the Core strategy helps to deliver this".

The Core Strategy is now out for consultation and if you want to read more and make a comment then follow this link. Core Strategy

Sarah Moore's speech in favour of the core strategy can be found here.

 I would like to urge the council to all vote for the core strategy proposed this evening.

BANES is in desperate need of more affordable family and social housing, far too many of my family and friends have been forced to move out of the area due to high housing costs.

My family tree can be traced back to the early 1700's in the BANES area, but if you do not act soon,  feel there will be no family homes for my children to afford .

The high prices on one side of the city coupled with the significant number of HMO's on the other has limited the options for far too long and will only get worse.

You need to reduce the number of properties able to become HMO's sooner rather than later and allow for more affordable homes to be built.

If large companies such as Tesco and Sainsbury were to reduce their footprint for stores in the area there would be more room for affordable houses to be built, enabling lower paid residents the opportunity of owning their own home.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all councillors and council staff that took part in the bath half yesterday and also the council employees who managed to get the route clean and open so quickly.