Summary of Argument
The process, by which the Local Plan Inspector’s recommendation to the Executive was arrived at, is in the view of the ten councillors who signed the call-in, flawed. The summary of the reasons is as follows:
1.The Inspector seems to have misunderstood the position of the nearest large food store as she says that people from the south of Bath have to cross the city to get to Sainsburys. This is incorrect.
2.Consideration of the council’s desire and Local Plan Policy to protect local shopping areas does not seem to have been taken into account.
3.The decision to allocate playing fields was taken in the absence of a ‘Green Space Strategy’. The decision to overrule the Inspector’s recommendation for residential development on Beechen Cliff School playing fields and yet to accept the same recommendation for Hayesfield playing fields, illustrates the inconsistencies that can happen if a strategy is not in place.
4.The addition of St Martins Garden School to the site during the school holidays left no time for consultation or lobbying and now the confirmation of the Executive decision by Council has now been brought forward from 23rd November to 12th October.
5.No consultation was undertaken with local people, local councillors, staff, parents and Governing Body of St Martins Garden School. There is no evidence that local people want a large food store on Odd Down.
6.The sports facility needs of Hayesfield School should not be a factor in this decision about land use.
7.The Sure Start Centre has only just been completed at a cost of £2m – it is a waste of money to demolish it so soon and demonstrates a complete lack of planning and what damage a late change to the Local Plan can cause.
8.There has been no study of the effects of the development on the local economic, environmental and social framework of the area.
9.Bath is a World Heritage Site with valued small shops and local shopping areas. These will be under threat if the development goes ahead.
10.The justification for this recommendation appears to be a little known ‘Retail Study’ which has been compiled by consultants with no consultation with local people and certainly without their engagement and involvement.
