Prospective local Lib Dem MP, Duncan Hames, has said he is delighted to hear that a planning application to build 200 new houses on Bradford on Avon Golf Course has been withdrawn.
The news comes after a sustained campaign to stop the proposed development by Bradford residents, backed by Duncan Hames and local Lib Dem councillors.
Commenting on the news, Duncan said:
“I see this as a real victory for Bradford residents and the keep Bradford Green campaign. After the application was submitted, I wrote to everyone in the affected area to alert them – over 200 letters of objection were sent to the Council planning office. This just goes to show that when we all pull together as a community we really can make a difference.”
In October, Duncan used the Freedom of Information Act to uncover minutes from a secret meeting of Conservative councillors at which they voted to remove a covenant protecting the golf course for the community, in return for a slice of the profits if the land is sold for development.
Duncan said:
“Conservative councillors on the old District Council were eager to build on the golf course, now that their secret decision is in the open the public have made their opposition clear. The new council should end this deal before we have to face another planning application.”
This is great news and I can only hope that Duncan Hames can do this for the proposed developments around Chippenham. I met him briefly at a meeting concerning this issue which included the Friends of Birds Marsh. Apart from the fact that the developments will affect a lovely and environmentally sensitive area it is sheer madness to build on land that is waterlogged and prone to flooding. The road is supposed to be a relief road but how much traffic will it relieve if threes another 8,000 -10,000 people living in the area. The answer is simply none at all the traffic will simply expand to fill the available space.
Comment by Juliet Powell — 22 February, 2010 @ 1:07 pm