Meetings, Uncategorized

ADVEARSE PUBLIC MEETING

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Thanks to the 50 local residents who packed the WI Hall in Bridport last Thursday (24th April) to discuss the latest situation regarding the Vearse Farm urban extension. The public meeting was hosted by Advearse the campaign group.

The guest speaker was Mr Richard Nicholls, Deputy Chair of West Dorset CPRE, who set out the vital importance of opposing this massive and destructive development in order to protect AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) land both in Bridport, but also across the whole of England.

With council plans to add another 170 houses to the Vearse Farm development it will, with 930 houses, be double the size of the previous largest build on AONB land. This would set a precedent that would make AONB land an easy target for developers.  

The audience were shocked to hear about the large number of brownfield sites available in Briport and the whole of Dorset that were being ignored by the local Council in favour of large scale green field developments fuelling easy profits for developers and house builders.

Sarah Carney made a strong plea for the young people of Bridport, in particular, who were being let down by this focus on satisfying developer greed and not housing need. The number of second homes in the Bridport area has been assessed as far higher than reported by the Council. These second homes remain empty for a large part of the year whilst young local people have no chance of affording even the Government’s “so called” affordable homes.

All of these failings result in the wrong houses being built in the wrong places for the wrong people.

Lewis Gerolemou detailed the many objections raised by local people including the massive increase in traffic congestion, lack of car parking, pressure on an already stretched medical centre and impact on wildlife and landscape.

Donations of over £500 resulted from the meeting in support of the Judicial Review challenge against the Vearse Farm urban extension. With CPRE support a total of £17,200 has been raised to date towards the £34,000 needed for the JR.

Barry Bates closed the meeting by calling upon all concerned people in Bridport and elsewhere to join us in our fight against a totally destructive, unnecessary and misguided development.

Newsflash

Fundraising Update – 25 April 2019

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Thanks to the generosity of the people of Bridport the Judicial Review fundraising to challenge the Vearse Farm Outline Planning Permission reached £8,500. 136 people have donated with an average donation of over £60. We have had 32 donations of over £100 and 69 of over £50. Many local people have also promised to donate.

With the CPRE match funding support the total is doubled to £17,000! The CPRE matched funding is up to a maximum of £10,000 which means to reach the fundraising target of £34,000 we need to collect a further £15,500 in donations.

Once the Council issue the Decision notice we will only have 6 weeks to launch the Judicial Review. After that nothing can be done to prevent this massive urban extension from going ahead. So please donate and encourage your friends and neighbours to support the campaign.

Thank You!

Newsflash

Video of Vearse Farm

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We have made a short video setting out the case against the against the unnecessary and massively destructive urbanisation of Bridport resulting from the Vearse Farm planning application.

Please share with friends and family so we can obtain the maximum support and donations to fund the Judicial Review against the planning application.

Save Bridport


Articles in the Press

Bridport News Article 14 March 2019

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CAMPAIGNERS are set to challenge a decision to approve planning permission for more than 700 homes near Bridport.

Residents have donated more than £5,000 towards the cost of a judicial review into West Dorset District Council’s decision to grant outline planning permission for the Vearse Farm development.

This amount will be doubled thanks to a match-funding grant from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Dorset.

Chairman of campaign group Advearse, Barry Bates, said: “We are overwhelmed and humbled by Bridport’s generosity. We’re frequently given cheques for £100 and more and most donations are over £50.”

Advearse says its lawyers believe the planning consent can be challenged because, they allege, it contravenes national rules about building on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and should be given ‘the highest possible protection’ from development.

A review will cost around £34,000 and, thanks to donations and match-funding, Advearse has £19,000 left to raise.

Mr Bates added: “The response to our leaflet drop has given us a renewed sense of responsibility. Bridport has shown that it is clearly united against this development which, despite its gross scale, will not deliver truly-affordable homes for local people and we will do our utmost to represent them.”

Advearse says it continues to receive a steady stream of donations and will launch an online appeal through the Bridport-based Crowdfunder website once a final decision notice has been issued by the council – but this will only give them a few weeks to make up any funding shortfall in order to make review application.

The group says it will continue to raise awareness of what it says are the ‘negative ramifications’ of the development and will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, April 24, at 7pm at the WI Hall on North Street, Bridport.

Members will update residents on the current situation concerning the application for the development. All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact advearse@aol.com.

The Bridport and Lyme Regis News has contacted West Dorset District Council to request a comment.

Press Releases

Stop press; Vearse Farm meeting

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14th February 2019

We plan to hold a public meeting to update you on the latest developments on the Vearse Farm planning application on Wednesday 24th April at the WI Hall, North Street, Bridport,  DT6 3JH at 7.00. pm. Please check the local press, our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ADVEARSE/), or follow us on Twitter (@advearse), for further details.

If you have any concerns at all about the implications for you and the local area then please read the leaflet and join our campaign.

Newsflash

ADVEARSE picket WDDC Local Plan review roadshow today (13-9-2018)

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The handout available at today’s roadshow is as follows……

WHY DOES THE WDDC LOCAL PLAN REVIEW FAIL BRIDPORT?

  1. HOUSING PROVISION

The West Dorset District Council Local Plan Review (LPR) proposes to build an increased number of houses in West Dorset, from 15,880 to 19,016, which, it states, is an oversupply ‘significantly above’ the ‘objectively assessed need’.

Why do WDDC plan to build more houses than are needed?

The Local Plan Review plans to increase the Vearse Farm development from 760 to 930 houses (including over 4 hectares of business parks and other buildings). The expanded Vearse Farm development comes on top of a number of significant existing and planned developments?

Why is Bridport being overloaded with these developments?

The Local Plan Review admits that ‘the total projected need for affordable housing is not expected to be met in the plan review period. The need for affordable housing is far more important than providing yet more open market houses that many local people cannot afford.

Why is that over a 20 year period WDDC cannot deliver the affordable housing needs which it says is the greatest housing priority?

  1. BUILDING ON AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY (AONB)

The Local Plan repeatedly says that one of its key objectives is to protect and enhance the AONB.

The Vearse Farm development (just outside Bridport, in the parish of Symondsbury) is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

This is largest development on AONB in the UK ever proposed!

How can building nearly a thousand houses and many hectares of associated buildings be considered to be “enhancing” or “protecting” the AONB?

The VF development also contravenes the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as the outline planning permission does not state the ‘exceptional circumstances’ needed to support building on an AONB. The planning permission also fails (as required by law) to consider the scope for developing elsewhere outside the AONB or meeting the housing need some other way.

  1. NOT USING BROWNFIELD SITES

The Local Plan Review fails to make any provision for the investigation of the many alternative brownfield sites available in the area covered by the plan.  WDDC are required to keep a register of brownfield sites but make no use of it for the Local Plan when considering alternatives to large developments on AONB (eg  Vearse Farm).

Why does the Local Plan Review not consider available Brownfield sites – many of which are dotted around Bridport and in some cases the land is already owned by the Council?

Also alternative models of housing provision have not been investigated, such as eco housing (eg the proposed Watton eco Village (near Bradpole) providing over 250 affordable/shared ownership homes and only 44 open market houses).

Why is the Local Plan Review not truly strategic by including such models for genuinely low-cost housing for sale and rent and making much-needed social houses a priority in order to deal with the housing crisis being suffered by local people?

  1. TRAFFIC OVERLOAD

Bridport has very poor links to the rest of the world, both in terms of roads and also public transport. The roads and narrow footways barely cope with the needs of the existing population. The highway network in the town and its approaches suffers serious congestion much of the time.  Car parking is limited and often at full capacity. Maximising safe sustainable modes of transport, walking and cycling, is not a practical option.

Where in the Local Plan review are there proposals for substantial investment in Bridport’s road network and car parking facilities and ensuring that house building is in line with the character and capacity of the town?

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WE HOPE YOU SHARE OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE LIMITATIONS IN THE LOCAL PLAN REVIEW AND THE DETRIMENTAL IMPACT OF THE LARGE SCALE VEARSE FARM DEVELOPMENT ON BRIDPORT.

IT IS VITAL THAT THE PEOPLE OF BRIDPORT HAVE THEIR SAY BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE YOUR CONCERNS AT THE ROAD SHOW OR ONLINE (LINK PROVIDED BELOW).

 

ADVEARSE TEAM

Advearse contact details:

advearse@aol.com

See and respond to Local Plan Review online:

https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/planning-buildings-land/planning-policy/west-dorset-and-weymouth-portland/local-plan-review/local-plan-review-west-dorset-weymouth-portland.aspx

 

Campaign Site