Wellow Residents' Association


Latest News (18/01/2004)

Update:- Willow Farm Builders Waste Recycling Plant

Our Offer: Following the decision we won in October 2003, our professional advisor Peter Stacey of Savills FDP was instructed to contact Mr. Phillips to try to identify alternative development opportunities which would be of benefit to him and the village without the adverse effects of the Re-cycling Plant. The Parish Council have, we believe made the same approach. Our offer was declined and two new challanges have been made.

A New Application: This time seeking a 5 year trial, the defeated one was for three years. There is still the problem of NO environmental Impact Study being undertaken with reference to Noise, Dust, Traffic, Green belt and in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Appeal: Against the adverse decision of the Council in October.

The other problem is that the Council at the time of writing have lost some of the many letters that were written objecting to the last proposal!!

ACTION NEEDED NOW

1. The New Application: Everyone PLEASE write; those who wrote last time please resend copies or write again:

These objections should be sent to:

Planning Services Manager, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath, BA1 2DP

Att: Case Officer Mr Chris Herbert, Quote application ref: 03/03130/FUL

2. The Apeal: These objections need to be in triplicate!! (copies can be made at George House or Bay Tree House)

To: The planning Inspectorate, 3/25 Hawk Wing, Temple House, Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay , Bristol. BS1 16PN

Appeal Ref: APP/F0114/A/ 03 1134971

DEADLINE for both 23rd January 2004

The Parish Council will be disussing both issues on Monday 19th January at 8pm in the Village Hall

(20/09/2002)

The recent application for a recycling works at Willow Farm, Wellow has provoked a village-wide interest. A Public Meeting was convened on Wednesday 11th September to inform those interested. The Minutes of that meeting are set out HERE

(24/03/2002)

WELLOW RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Outline planning consent for 25 acres of employment uses on the Bloors development site at Peasedown St John has now been validated by the completion of the long awaited Section 106 Agreement.

The S106 ensures that if development takes place £47,500 is payable by the developer to Wellow as a contribution towards the implementation of the traffic calming scheme presented to residents by the WRA at the public meeting last April. Bloors has also reimbursed us our professional fees of £2,150. We shall be writing to all who kindly contributed to the Appeal Fund. As promised, we shall offer to repay or to maintain the balance for the benefit of the Parish. This may be needed soon!

We understand that Bath Press is not going to relocate to this site. As predicted, this leaves Bloors unwilling to start development and proves it is unviable to do so without a majority occupier. The bad news is that Bloors is preparing further proposals for the site which involve unspecified, alternative uses. We are to be consulted and will report further.

The outcome of this shows that positive action brings results, even when the cause seems lost. Remember, we did not start until after B&NES had resolved to grant consent. We have also learned that the Folly Down scheme has been called in and will be the subject of a Public Inquiry. Another example of local action succeeding.

Alistair Colston Tel: 834 528


(22/06/01)

Details of the proposed development at Folly Down near Combe Hay and Odd Down were released to the general public by The Bath Chronicle on Friday 22/06/01 - details are available at the Architects website http://www.gcparch.co.uk/follydown


(28/04/01)

A Public Meeting was attended by as many as 80 residents on the evening of Monday 23rd April at the Village Hall to review the impact of a new industrial development at Peasedown and to propose a plan to deter and calm traffic through Wellow. Representatives from B&NES traffic and highways department were present. At the meeting, WRA Chairman Alistair Colston reported on the efforts that had been made so far while Simon Veysey gave a report on fund raising efforts and thanked everyone for their contribution. Mark Watson outlined a proposal for traffic calming for approval by local residents and to invite their comments. The draft proposals include a 20 mph speed limit enforceable by the police, a 7.5 ton weight limit, cobbled approaches to East, West and North entry points to reinforce the need for caution and traffic calming at key points within the village. Improvements to The Square and Batch formed part of the overall plan. The views of local residents will prove most helpful in forming future policy and the meeting unanimously endorsed the outline proposal.


(5/3/2001)

We heard from Gitte Dawson and Phil Warry almost simultaneously on Thursday afternoon, 1st March, of the decision not to call the application in.

Naturally, we are disappointed at this outcome, particularly the timing of the decision - one week earlier than the deadline and only days after we had asked for an extension because Dan Norris had promised to speak with Prescott on our behalf. We are also disappointed that they have also decided "based on the evidence before them" that an EIA is not required.

However, we have learned from Gitte that the developer has increased the financial contribution towards the highways measures required under the S106, so our efforts do not appear to have been entirely wasted.

We,WRA, are hoping to meet Tuesday 6th or Wednesday 7th March to discuss next steps.

We shall obviously be addressing the S106 and the traffic calming issues - Mark Baker, our Traffic Consultant, is meeting Pinnacle, Bloor's Traffic people, tomorrow. At this meeting we shall learn the outcome of the 2 week traffic study in the village (and will report back!).

We shall also be assembling options for traffic calming from Mark Baker, B&NES and Pinnacle and once we have these, we shall arrange a public meeting at which they can be discussed.

We are also exploring our options in respect of the Warry decisions - one of the newcomers to the village is a Partner at Clifford Chance on the Real Estate side and he has been providing us with further legal opinion.

We shall also be working with the other Parishes to make known our concerns about the proposals for Folly Down, particularly on the traffic front. Combe Hay advise that these are substantial proposals and, as with the Peasedown scheme, there has been little consultation direct with Parishes likely to be affect including, I believe, Wellow.

Representations to B&NES need to be made by 16th March and so time is already short.

There seems to be a hideous symmetry between the Peasedown and Folly Down proposals - neither has been the subject of wide public consultation nor detailed traffic studies. Both are on the A367 within a couple of miles of one another and both are being dealt with by the Major Developments Officer, Gary Collins - so it isn't even a case of left hand not knowing what right hand is doing!

Given the go ahead for Peasedown, the implications for Wellow and surrounding communities of a second large scale development are significant.

It may interest you to know that Pinnacle have told Mark Baker that they now anticipate between 10% and 15% of traffic generated by the Peasedown scheme will use the east/west route between A367 and A36 - this despite the zero percent assumption made in the Traffic Study done last year in support of the application! Moreover if they are now saying 10-15% it will more likely be 15-20%.

Alistair Colston


(4/03/2001)

The Government Office for the South West, who are responsible for deciding whether to refer the Peasedown St. John Planning application for industrial development to the Secretary of State, have written, on the 1st March 2001, as follows:-

Ref: SW/THM/5219/61:1

Dear........

PLANNING APPLICATION FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AT PEASEDOWN ST JOHN

I refer to previous correspondence about the above application.

The application has now been referred to this office as a departure from the development plan, and we have given very careful consideration to your letter and to the other requests we have received for the Secretary of state to intervene. However, we have concluded that the issues raised are ones which can be properly left to Bath and North East Somerset Council to decide and that the Secretary of State's intervention would not be justified. While I realise you will be disappointed with the decision, I should make clear that it should not be taken as tacit approval of the proposal or as any expression of opinion on its merits.

yours sincerely

PHIL WARRY.

Obviously this is a disappointing outcome and the WRA will now consider the next appropriate course of action and keep you all informed in due course.


(24/2/2001)

Following our third leaflet, we are pleased to report a marvellous response to our appeal for funds - we have raised some £1,300 at last count - a big thank you to all.

An inter-parish liaison group has been formed with representatives from Peasedown, Norton Radstock, Camerton, Shoscombe, Hinton and Combe Hay. All have similar concerns, in particular traffic generation, the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment and the lack of wide enough consultation.

Concerns have been heightened by the proposals for large scale commercial and residential redevelopment of the Fullers Earth Works on the A367 by the Odd Down Park & Ride. This was news to most of us! Our Traffic Consultant's report concludes that the traffic survey for the Peasedown site is inadequate, especially as it assumes no traffic generation between A367 and A36 through Wellow and Hinton. This report was included in joint representations made to Dan Norris MP last Friday. Mr Norris has assured us of his support and will speak to John Prescott on our behalf. Time is short as a decision must be made by 5th March. But this still leaves time to write to Phil Warry at the Govt Office! We will keep you posted through Parish Council meetings, the Parish Newsletter and website and through further leaflets. Alistair Colston 


This group was formed during December 2000/Januray 2001 in response to a proposed increase in development of an area of land off Wellow Lane in Peasedown St. John.

The group is now developong a constitution with the aim of fighting the development proposals which will have a catastrophic impact on Wellow due to the potential increase in traffic flow through our village.

Further details of action taken so far and future action and funding needed will be published in due course.

Below is a copy of the briefing document given to our MP, Dan Norris at a recent meeting:-

Proposed development on land at Peasedown St John between A367 and Wellow Lane

Application No 00/00623/ OUT Applicant JS Bloor (Swindon) Ltd

Briefing Note for Dan Norris MP

If you wish to find out more in the mean time contact Alistair Colston on 01225 834492 or e-mail him at the following alistair.colston@lineone.net