Campaign launched against proposed Green Belt housing
A CAMPAIGN opposing plans to build almost 33,000 homes on a Green Belt in South Gloucestershire has been put online.
The campaign website - www.nowayto33k.com - has been launched in response to the recent announcement that the Government's Regional Spatial Strategy has increased the number of homes planned by 2,000, to almost 32,800.
The website offers concerned residents the opportunity to voice their fears over the proposals, as well as download posters calling for 'No way to 33k' to be placed in their windows.
It forms one part of a high-profile drive against the controversial proposals by local campaigners Chris Skidmore, Jack Lopresti and Matthew Riddle.
In the coming weeks, residents across those parts of Kingswood - including Warmley, Oldland Common, Emersons Green and Mangotsfield - will be sent a survey to complete.
Once collated, the results will be submitted as part of a comprehensive report as part of the current consultation process over the plans, which ends in October.
Chris has already attended and spoke at a local community meeting held in Warmley, urging residents to get involved in the campaign.
He will also run a series of road show-style public meetings in those local areas affected, informing local residents how they can best get their views across.
The campaign has already received the backing of Conservative councillors across South Gloucestershire and Kingswood.
Chris, the Conservative Prospective MP for Kingswood, Jack (Conservative PPC for Filton & Bradley Stoke) and Matthew Riddle (Conservative PPC for Thornbury & Yate) said their campaign was designed to "take the fight" to the Government.
Speaking at the launch, Chris said: "This new 'No Way to 33k' campaign is designed to highlight the level of concern over the Government's plans to eat up our Green Belt and swamp the local Kingswood area with houses that the local infrastructure can't cope with.
"It is a campaign designed to obtain cross-party support across South Gloucestershire, so that we can work together to reduce the number of homes planned in the local area.
"This is the most serious issue facing the residents of my local area- if the Government's plans go ahead, they will completely destroy the rural character of where we live.
"South Gloucestershire council has stated that it cannot deal with the sheer volume of extra houses planned, and it's ludicrous to be forcing this number of houses upon us when our ring road won't manage the extra volume of traffic and the local hospital has been downgraded.
"That's why I've helped to launch this new vital campaign- for the sake of protecting our countryside for future generations, we must do all we can to fight these catastrophic plans."
The "No Way To 30K" campaign has key objections to the Government's proposed levels of additional housing in the Kingswood area:
• there will be a significant loss of the Green Belt, as well as loss of valuable wildlife habitats, such as the such as the Siston Conservation Area and threats to the new areas of woodland planting around Siston village and at Warmley Forest Park as part of the Forest of Avon;
• once you start expanding Kingswood eastwards into the Green Belt, when do you stop?
• the separate and distinctive character of different communities, such as Siston village, will be threatened;
• the economic and social decline in certain neighbourhoods in Kingswood, Staple Hill and Cadbury Heath will mean that new residents will need to travel to work - adding to existing traffic problems;
• congestion will get worse on the Avon Ring Road, M4, M32 and other local roads;
• the radical downgrading of Frenchay hospital means that current and additional residents will not have access to good health services;
• new homes built in this area are likely to be exposed to poor air quality and noise with proximity to Avon Ring Road, M4 and M32;
Last month, Chris collected hundreds of petition signatures calling for the Government to reduce the number of homes planned for South Gloucestershire, which were submitted as part of the consultation process. Residents are still able to sign this petition at www.chrisskidmore.com.
ENDS
For more information, please contact Chris Skidmore on 07792 426791 or cskidmore@hotmail.com .
Chris meets Safer South Gloucestershire Team
As part of his commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour and the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse in Kingswood, Chris visited the Headquarters of Safer South Gloucestershire to talk about the problems and issues that affect the local area.
Safer South Gloucestershire are working hard to get local communities involved in reporting and tackling issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour. South Gloucestershire’s 20 Safer and Stronger Community Groups are working together to help make the community you live in safer and stronger, and welcome anyone who would like to attend.
The groups have been set up as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Model. Their members include people who live and work in the area and representatives from the local police, Avon Fire & Rescue, health visitors, South Gloucestershire Council, the Town & Parish Council and other local organisations. They:
work together to ensure that their areas are safe and pleasant places to live, work and play give local people a greater voice and influence over local decisions and priorities fund and support a number of initiatives that help the local community, such as street lighting, shop-radio schemes, CCTV, alley-gating schemes, community engagement projects and responsive action plans
Call 01454 868760 to find out about the work of your nearest group and to have a say in local issues or visit www.safersouthglos.org.uk for further information on Safer South Gloucestershire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership’s work.
They even have a handy van carpenter who can visit your property and provide you with a free home security service. Call 01454 863966 to arrange an appointment.
Chris says: ‘Safer South Gloucestershire provide a vital service for getting communities together, working on tackling local problems. If we are to make our streets safer, we cannot turn a blind eye. Together, we can crack the blight of anti-social behaviour’.