A ward partnership held on Monday October 6, 2009, voted overwhelmingly to reject development in Scotts Meadows and Edginswell valley.
The following report was published in the Herald Express.
Bloomin' Marvellous
Scotts Meadows in full bloom
Sunday 11 October 2009
Letter published in Herald Express
The following letter was published in the Herald Express on Saturday October 10 2009
under the headline : COUNCIL MUST STAND UP AGAINST 15,000 NEW HOMES FOR BAY AREA.
WE WELCOME the pledge regarding the proposed imposition of 15,000 homes on Torbay by the Labour Government from Torbay Conservative Parliamentary spokesman Marcus Wood.
Mr Wood stated in his letter (HE, October 6) that it is his party's policy to abolish binding homebuilding targets for councils as soon as possible should they win the General Election.
Because of a legal challenge elsewhere in the country, the Labour Government has now delayed confirmation of the figures for the South West and Torbay until at least the New Year. Torbay Council and the regional assembly both rejected the figure for Torbay as far too high and damaging for the resort.
Torbay Council is currently going through the consultation process on its new planning blueprint on the basis of 15,000 homes and many potential greenfield housing sites have been identified in Paignton and Torquay in the five options being suggested.
These include 230 homes at Scotts Meadows off Riviera Way, Torquay, and 750 in the valley above Edginswell alongside Hamelin Way. Scotts Meadows feature in four of the five options.
A meeting of Shiphay with the Willows Ward partnership this week resoundingly rejected the designation of those meadows for housing and residents argued forcefully for Torbay Council to stand up to the current Government on the 15,000 figure.
Residents were concerned about further traffic congestion caused by 980 new homes, on top of the new Edginswell Business Park and expansion at Torbay Hospital. They asked where the jobs and community facilities were going to be created.
Our members are campaigning for Torbay Council to withdraw the housing proposals for Scotts Meadow in the new planning blueprint and to retain the landscape protection area status it has in the current local plan, which the council defended in a High Court hearing in 2005.
Perhaps Torbay Council could also give residents longer to understand and react to these radical and Bay changing proposals than Friday, October 23.
Anyone interested in supporting our Save Scotts Meadow campaign to preserve these prominent meadows at the gateway to Torquay for future generations can contact me on 01803 615922 or email savescottsmeadow@yahoo.co.uk
JIM PROWSE
Chairman, Scotts Meadow Protection Group
under the headline : COUNCIL MUST STAND UP AGAINST 15,000 NEW HOMES FOR BAY AREA.
WE WELCOME the pledge regarding the proposed imposition of 15,000 homes on Torbay by the Labour Government from Torbay Conservative Parliamentary spokesman Marcus Wood.
Mr Wood stated in his letter (HE, October 6) that it is his party's policy to abolish binding homebuilding targets for councils as soon as possible should they win the General Election.
Because of a legal challenge elsewhere in the country, the Labour Government has now delayed confirmation of the figures for the South West and Torbay until at least the New Year. Torbay Council and the regional assembly both rejected the figure for Torbay as far too high and damaging for the resort.
Torbay Council is currently going through the consultation process on its new planning blueprint on the basis of 15,000 homes and many potential greenfield housing sites have been identified in Paignton and Torquay in the five options being suggested.
These include 230 homes at Scotts Meadows off Riviera Way, Torquay, and 750 in the valley above Edginswell alongside Hamelin Way. Scotts Meadows feature in four of the five options.
A meeting of Shiphay with the Willows Ward partnership this week resoundingly rejected the designation of those meadows for housing and residents argued forcefully for Torbay Council to stand up to the current Government on the 15,000 figure.
Residents were concerned about further traffic congestion caused by 980 new homes, on top of the new Edginswell Business Park and expansion at Torbay Hospital. They asked where the jobs and community facilities were going to be created.
Our members are campaigning for Torbay Council to withdraw the housing proposals for Scotts Meadow in the new planning blueprint and to retain the landscape protection area status it has in the current local plan, which the council defended in a High Court hearing in 2005.
Perhaps Torbay Council could also give residents longer to understand and react to these radical and Bay changing proposals than Friday, October 23.
Anyone interested in supporting our Save Scotts Meadow campaign to preserve these prominent meadows at the gateway to Torquay for future generations can contact me on 01803 615922 or email savescottsmeadow@yahoo.co.uk
JIM PROWSE
Chairman, Scotts Meadow Protection Group
Letter of support from Marcus Wood
We have received this letter of support from Marcus Wood, the prospective Parliamentary candidate for Torbay.
Just to put on the record what we said on the telephone, I am happy to publicly support your campaign to protect green space in Torbay from being built on as a result of Government dictact for 15,000 new homes which local residents do not want.
Torbay has a massive amount of run-down and dilapidated property which could and should be redeveloped long before we consider building on what little amount of virgin space is left in the borough.
Even then, I can see no basis for building over any of the Scotts Meadow land and fully support your campaign to protect this space.
Local politicians will have the power to decide about these matters under a Conservative Government. This makes your campaign all the more vital as you have to ensure that local councillors are fully understanding of the wishes of their electorate, and if they are not, that they will lose the support of their residents at the next opportunity.
Although the power to enforce development targets will be abolished, councils will be given significant financial incentives to encourage building in areas where new houses are thought to be needed; councils like ours will have to be totally clear as to the strength of public feeling.
I will do what I can to support you and I am happy to meet you and discuss this with your members as soon as possible.
Yours truly
Marcus Wood
Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Torbay Conservatives
www.marcuswood.org
tel 01803 557753
Office: 299 Torquay Road, Paignton, Devon.
Just to put on the record what we said on the telephone, I am happy to publicly support your campaign to protect green space in Torbay from being built on as a result of Government dictact for 15,000 new homes which local residents do not want.
Torbay has a massive amount of run-down and dilapidated property which could and should be redeveloped long before we consider building on what little amount of virgin space is left in the borough.
Even then, I can see no basis for building over any of the Scotts Meadow land and fully support your campaign to protect this space.
Local politicians will have the power to decide about these matters under a Conservative Government. This makes your campaign all the more vital as you have to ensure that local councillors are fully understanding of the wishes of their electorate, and if they are not, that they will lose the support of their residents at the next opportunity.
Although the power to enforce development targets will be abolished, councils will be given significant financial incentives to encourage building in areas where new houses are thought to be needed; councils like ours will have to be totally clear as to the strength of public feeling.
I will do what I can to support you and I am happy to meet you and discuss this with your members as soon as possible.
Yours truly
Marcus Wood
Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Torbay Conservatives
www.marcuswood.org
tel 01803 557753
Office: 299 Torquay Road, Paignton, Devon.
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