COMMUNITY PLAN and EIP LATEST

1. Thornbury Town Community Plan

The official launch of the Community Plan will be on this coming Thursday 10th May, starting at 7.30pm in the Cossham Hall. Although this will not necessarily OVERTLY deal with planning issues, it will be an opportunity for members of the public to identify the issues they feel are most pressing for our town. All residents are welcome to offer their views, and most importantly, this will be giving local people the opportunity to volunteer to help shape the future of our town - an opportunity that should not lightly be passed up.

2. The Examination in Public  (EIP) for Thornbury – Friday 13^th July ‘12

The Planning Inspector has now confirmed the Matters he wishes to cover at the Hearings for Thornbury on 13^th July. These provide the basis for further discussion during the Hearing and are detailed below:-

 THORNBURY – POLICIES CS32 & CS33

1.            Concerns have been raised regarding both the consultation process and the sustainability appraisal.  What evidence is there to show the Council has failed to comply with the either legislative or regulatory requirements in connection with these processes?

2.            A number of respondents say the Council’s aim to retain and improve services, facilities and employment in Thornbury is not supported by the evidence.  What information has the Council relied upon in reaching its conclusions on the need for and the scale of development appropriate for the town?

3.            In relation to proposals for development at Park Farm a number of potential constraints have been identified.  These include heritage and archaeological assets, wildlife and agricultural land quality as well as concerns with flooding, the loss of open space and access issues.  How far have these factors been taken into account in identifying this location as the Council’s preferred choice?

4.            Do alternative sites in the Thornbury area particularly to the east and south have advantages over the Park Farm location and, if so, what are these?

5.            Is Morton Way South a more sustainable location for housing purposes and/or are the constraints at this location a significant factor against the development?

6.            Some respondents are concerned that no account has been taken of the impact of a new nuclear power station at Oldbury.  How significant is this to the proposals for Thornbury?

The latest list of participants asked by the Inspector to be part of the hearing includes:-

Oldbury Parish Council

J Richards Bloor Homes

Thornbury Town Council

Thornbury NW Ward Independent Town Councillors (Gareth Davies/Vincent Costello)

Shortwood GB Campaign

Pegasus Pl for Barratts

Graham Lanfear

R.Hudson

Emery Planning for Fearson Homes

Grace Davies - STGH

Rosemary Burton

T Roberts for Atherton Family Trust

Chris Rickard

Mrs Hall

Dominic Lawson

The Examination Hearings for South Gloucestershire actually commence at 10.00am on 19 June and will take place in the Council offices at Kingswood Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood BS15 9TR.  The Inspector has lots of issues regarding the Core Strategy that need resolving – full details of all these issues and matters for each hearing session are on the South Glos website: www.southglos.gov.uk/corestrategyexamination

The Thornbury hearing on 13^th July is towards the end of the hearing period. 

STGH will be continuing to put forward the evidence that the Core Strategy for Thornbury is unsound and does not follow the principles of the government’s NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework). We continue to believe that Thornbury’s green heritage should be protected.    

Members of the public are allowed to attend any of the sessions to observe, but only those invited to participate can do so. 

If you have questions or concerns you wish to discuss with STGH, please contact us by email ourgreenheritage@gmail.com