HOLA news September 09

Volunteers Wanted for Saturday 12 September
At our meeting last night we decided to have a presence outside the Jubilee Hall on Saturday when the proposals to develop the land owned by Bristol University will be presented. We will be handing out HOLA leaflets and getting email addresses to increase our supporter base.

We divided the time into one hour periods and those present volunteered to fill some of them. The unfilled slots are 1:00 to 2:00 and 4:00 to 5:00. If you are able to help, would you please let me know? Please come down and give you support anyway, any time from 12:00 to 5:00.

Other things we plan to do are: to increase visibility of HOLA with some posters and contacting district councillors to persuade them not to vote in favour of the stadium. I will email you again with details of these actions. The minutes of the meeting will be on the web site shortly.

Ashton Park
The planning application for Ashton Park has been resubmitted and has been allocated the number 09/P/1455/OT2, if you want to look at it. Clearly, we all need to register our objections, although I am confident that North Somerset will reject the application. I am equally sure that there will be an appeal. All the objections to the original application are given to the planning inspector, so we need to make these as numerous as possible.

Bristol City Council Motion Against the RSS
There is a Bristol City Council meeting next Tuesday, 15th September at 6pm. Pip Sheard will to be doing a three minute submission opposing both the proposed Tesco development on the current BCFC site and the new Stadium.

Councillor Richard Eddy (Conservative Leader) has tabled the motion below for discussion at the same meeting. Pip has asked us to email him at richard.eddy@bristol.gov.uk thanking him for this. She has done this on behalf of TfGB. Can any of you turn up to listen?

This is the full text of the motion:

A COUNCILLOR R EDDY TO MOVE: “Further to the Full Council resolution of 14th October 2008, this Council reaffirms its opposition to the unrealistic, unworkable and unsustainable house building figures contained in the proposed changes to the Draft Revised Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West (RSS).

Council welcomes the delay in adoption of the RSS as a result of a legal challenge against the East of England Plan, and hopes this time will be used by the Labour Government to reconsider their housing targets – particularly in the light of the remaining uncertainties surrounding the housing market.

In addition, Council continues to oppose the contemplated unparalleled destruction of open spaces and the Green Belt, which would result from such intensive development.

Council is specifically concerned about the additional numbers proposed for Bristol, the size of the south west extension at Ashton Vale and the over-development intended in the south east and northern parts of the city (particularly when there are no plans to improve or provide the necessary infrastructure alongside such new development).

Council believes that the Local Authorities concerned are best placed to determine the level and location of new housing developments within their boundaries.

In the event of any failure by the Secretary of State to significantly reduce Labour’s housing numbers, Council calls on the Leader of Council to explore with our neighbouring authorities the possibility of mounting a joint challenge in the Courts to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.”

This is potentially an important development, which needs our active encouragement. We know that North Somerset is contemplating something similar, but has been less explicit.

Other Events
Some of the local running clubs are starting from the Bird in Hand on Thursday at 7:00 and will be running over the proposed stadium site. This is to highlight the threat to the green belt. I am sure they would welcome your support.

Berate, the Bedminster group formed to protest against the proposed Tesco development on the BCFC stadium site are holding a rally on Saturday 12 September starting at 11:00 at North Street Green and walking the length of North Street.

Rod Sterland

September 10, 2009 · Filed Under general

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