THE DIGGERS ARRIVE

Local residents were somewhat shocked to see diggers at work in the lush green fields of Park Farm. One local resident sent me a panic-stricken e-mail asking if the builders had arrived!

Because of course OFFICIALLY South Glos are still considering all the representations made by you and me and all the other local residents (oh yes, and developers) who may have submitted views concerning the proposed 500+ housing development, earmarked for the fields behind Castle School, that back onto Thornbury Castle, the Medieval Fishponds, and much of Park Farm.
UNOFFICIALLY planners have already indicated to STGH that they are still proceeding with the current plans regardless of our representations. So much for "Consultation"!

Despite David Cameron's talk of The Big Society last week, where local people are urged to take on local responsibility, South Glos Planning Department seem to prefer the little society, where they can ride roughshod over the nuisance opinions of local people, prefering to listen to the financial arguments of the developers, and meeting their own self-imposed deadlines and targets.
Are we really too late to see some fair play in Thornbury? Currently these diggers are only here to carry out some archaealogical surveys. Next time, they could be here to dig the footings.

We urge you to write to your South Glos Cabinet Members (see names and addresses in previous post below 22-9-10) as soon as you possibly can.

Ask them if they have actually read the Sustainability Appraisal yet - and if they have, how they can possibly pursue the Park Farm development on the basis of such a flawed and inaccurate piece of non-appraisal!
Ask why local residents have NEVER been consulted on which one of the six identified sites (Sustainability Appraisal) would be the best option for housing development inThornbury?
Ask why the most recent Government Inspector to examine housing sites around Thornbury, having declared the Park Farm estate to be UNSUITABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, is now being completely ignored.

Please don't put off writing. We must act together to make a difference NOW.

WHO TO BELIEVE???

Our Local Councillors (SGC and TTC) tell us that families are in decline and rolls are falling in local Primary Schools, and consequently we need to add vibrancy to our schools by building 500+ new houses on the edges of Thornbury, starting out with the beautiful and historic Park Farm Estate that edges onto Thornbury Castle.

National Newspapers tell a different story .....

(click mouse on newscutting to see it enlarged.)

Councillors have been very busy looking into the future in order to find justification for a housing project that has never received a mandate from the local residents of Thornbury - but the true fate of our Primary Schools may be very different if these projected national trends are to be believed. More housing for Thornbury could actually mean no spaces for local children in local schools as demand exceeds supply. (Remember - 500+ houses is the official line, but some reports have indicated 750, even 1,000 new houses to come)

And on the subject of schools, it's very difficult to get a straight answer as to how Councillors/Castle School is involved in the current wheeling and dealing with Barretts over building plans on those Park Farm fields behind the school that lead on to the Medieval Fishponds.
One thing we know for sure is that the Government, in the shape of Michael Gove, Education Secretary has absolutely pulled the plug on the "Building Schools for the Future" programme. Talk of a re-build for The Castle School, or a consolidation of the Sixth Form onto the main site at Park Road looks suddenly completely misplaced.
That may actually be a relief for local sixth-formers, many of whom cherish their sixth-form site, away from the main school, as one of its principle attractions. What would happen to "town vibrancy" too, if sixth-formers are located too far from the town centre to be able to "nip-in" for shopping and snacks?

So in the light of all this, any chance of our local councillors holding up their hands over the flawed justification of the Park Farm fields as a suitable site for housing development, and saying "Sorry, we got that one wrong....."??
We can but hope.
Please keep drawing your councillors' attentions to these injustices and inaccuracies that are being perpetrated by ELECTED representatives.
Local Elections in May 2011 might prove to be our only recourse.