Meeting documents

My name is Peter Allerhand and I represent Claremont Residents Association, a Walcot based neighbourhood group with 80 members. I want to address the issue of Visually Important Open Space and why this classification is so important to the Bath local plan.

CR are currently defending against an unwanted development proposal at Southbourne Gardens, a former allotment garden site regrettably in the control of professional developers based in Wootton Bassett. The whole thing has gone to appeal before the Inspectorate and we are currently half way through the process.

The developers have been trying out various schemes ranging from a block of flats to a residential nursing home, a halfway house for young offenders and now, housing. Thankfully, Bath planners have always turned them down.

I will just read a short section of a letter dating from 1998 received from Cllr Ann Harding who was then on the Planning Committee and responding at the time to a letter from us.

"Thank you for your letter of 30^th January. I am familiar with this site. I have now spoken to Geoff Webber who is the officer responsible. As the Local Plan now designates this land as Open Space, it is very unlikely that the land could ever be used for development"

Since that time, there has been only one representation regarding this site and not surprisingly, from the developer.

Imagine our surprise therefore when, at the commencement of the appeal process to which I was referring earlier, the Council's own barrister and planning officer both stated for the record that there was no objection in principle to development on this site.

When questioned on this by our barrister, the officers explained that as the emerging plan is being considered and that there are recommendations to do away with VIOS status, there can be no objection in principle to development on this site.

Well, we may win this fight but if we lose it, please can you ensure that other Bath residents don't suffer the same fate precisely because the status of VIOS has been stripped away. Remember, in our case, it was only one representation from an out-of-town developer versus an entire neighbourhood of objectors who live here.

That's why we need the additional layer of protective process that VIOS gives to unique environments such as the City of Bath.