12 weeks to save Cheltenham?
A CAMPAIGN has been launched warning there is only 12 weeks
to save Cheltenham.
-
Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate Mark Coote
has started a petition for people to protest against the plans
to build thousands of houses in and around the town.
The proposals are part of the Regional Spatial Strategy
devised by the South West Regional Assembly, which says 8,100
houses should be built in Cheltenham, with 1,300 in Leckhampton
and 5,000 on green fields next to Swindon Village.
Public consultation on the RSS finishes on October 17.
Mr Coote (below) said: "I've organised this mainly because
if you talk to people in Cheltenham they are very worried about
the pace of house-building.
"This is exacerbated by last year's flooding because there
was a lack of run-off and there's consternation about infill,
or garden grabbing."
Mr Coote says the RSS public consultation is largely a
cosmetic exercise.
He added: "We're not being asked if we want these houses,
we're being told we're getting them and do we want them here or
there?
"Another 20,000 people will change Cheltenham forever, and
people are worried not just about losing fields but about
congestion and traffic, will there be enough schools our GP
services or dentists?"
The would-be MP says many villages in the county would
benefit from development.
He said: "Some of the villages are dying because people are
leaving, and market towns in the Forest of Dean need more
people, but the SWRA have decided to put all the houses around
Glo- ucester and Chelten ham."
Other campaigns are fighting further building on green
spaces around the town.
The Leckhampton Green Land Action Group is protesting about
plans to build on greenbelt land to the south west of
Cheltenham and Save the Countryside has organised protest walks
against proposals for the greenbelt between Swindon Village and
Elmstone Hardwicke and Uckington.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Communities and Local
Government, which commissioned the RSS, said: "The region has a
real housing shortage.
"It is the only region with above-average house prices and
below-average incomes. The South West Plan sets clear ambitious
targets to tackle climate change, reduce carbon emissions and
help ensure that new housing development is delivered in a
sustainable way with the right infrastructure in place.
"Tough new planning rules to protect new homes against flood
risk mean the Environment Agency must be consulted before all
new developments are approved."
Cheltenham Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood has already
launched a petition against the proposals.
His office manager David Fidgeon said: "We've had more than
2,000 signatures on the petition."
Coun John Webster (LD, St Mark's), one of the founders of
Save the Countryside, said: "That campaign handed in a paper
petition signed by 1,200 people and also has one online.
Between that, Martin's petition and Mark Coote's, we should
make ourselves heard."
19 Comments
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by jane, Cheltenham
Tuesday, September 23 2008, 10:54AM
“All rather ironic from the Tories as I gather that Gloucester Conservatives support building on the flood plain at Longford and Innsworth”
by Anthony, Cheltenham
Friday, August 29 2008, 12:14PM
“Why not build lots of tower blocks? Hesters Way has got some fine examples and the lower class people could be put in there.
It would certainly save me the trouble of living next door to those kind of 'people'.”
by Cliffrat, troud
Thursday, August 28 2008, 8:25PM
“Hi Paul, Not being narrow minded - jsut thinking of my social degradation having to pay for whingers and spongers. So should masses of green spaces be covered in flood-creating concrete to provide exorbitantly luxorious houses for parasites?? Of course not - get into the real world and recall if I can't have personal care when elderly or NHS treatment after 60 years old unless I pay why should parasites have have any favours - of course they should not. Once we get rid of illegal immigrants and spongers the demand for housing will be met by what is already there.”
by Anon, Leckhampton
Thursday, August 28 2008, 5:38PM
“Let's be honest about this. Mark Coote has jumped on this bandwaggon very late.
As far as I know, he hasn't been involved in any of the 'Save the Countryside' campaigns to date although he has objected to a few 'garden grabs' except when it was the Tory Mayor's garden.”
by Anon, Leckhampton
Thursday, August 28 2008, 4:57PM
“Well done to the Conservatives for taking the initative on this important issue. It is interesting that despite the noisey rhetoric from the Lib Dems before the recent local elections in Cheltenham, nothing seems to have happened since they have taken office. They moaned about the Conservatives submitting an expression of interest for money for infrastructure. But they are still in the bidding process for that even though the county council has pulled out.
The Lib Dems infested Leckhampton with literature saying they are the saviours of the green belt and green fields. And yet they denied people in Leckhampton the chance for a referendum on the regional spatial strategy.
The Lib Dems are only interested in saving Swindon Village and have no interest in the threat to the Leckhampton and Shurdington fields.”
by Paul, Cheltenham
Thursday, August 28 2008, 4:37PM
“All rather hillarious, in the 1940's/50's masses so Cheltenhams green land was built on, mainly through compulsary purchase by the Cheltenham Corporation, the houses were built following the housing shortage after WWII due to the lack of affordable housing.
OK, so no world war this time but still a housing shortage of similar proportions yet virtually all of you are living in housing that was built on a green field site.
Cliffrats comments are typical of the type of resident we have in this county "Tower blocks taking up little griound room are good enough for them", how very narrow minded. Tower blocks are an obvious eyesore, nevermind the social degredation that they cause and no doubt would also have a campaign led against them.
Time for people to accept that unless we change, we die just as those who opposed the huge building projects in the late 40's and early 50's had to.”
by Crispin Mount, Shopping in Cheltenham
Thursday, August 28 2008, 2:16PM
“Pure Tory Nimbyism - won't he be needing some new people to vote for him if he wants to be an MP ?”
by john, Cheltenham
Thursday, August 28 2008, 2:02PM
“Stop plucking numbers out of the air and prove that all these houses are needed.”
by peter jaques, cheltenham
Thursday, August 28 2008, 1:41PM
“presumably the low grade morons who think up these wonderful ideas will ensure that the infrastructure needed to support the extra population is created, especially additional jobs. If not all that will happen is that the residents will simply commute to Bristol, Birmingham or Worcester creating even more traffic congestion and pollution. In the present economic climate is there any chance of another 10000 jobs locally?
Peter”
by DrObumma, chelt
Thursday, August 28 2008, 1:35PM
“Where does He expect people to live then? surely this would be good all round for people and jobs.”