Community Briefing

We invited community groups to come along to find out more about the Core Strategy at a special Community Briefing yesterday afternoon.

Although only five people attended, the information discussed was invaluable, as they gave their perspective about the things they feel our borough needs.

Particular concerns were raised about the social infrastructure of the borough, and the need for inclusive and integrated development for all members of society, with special attention to mentally and physically disabled groups.

The need for more affordable homes was also raised, to give people the opportunity to get onto the property ladder.

Just Drop-in

Yesterday was the last drop in session at the Town Hall in Nuneaton, and it saw many interested residents popping in to talk to the Planning Policy Team. 

Most people were asking about the consultation and how best to make comments about the Issues and Options document.

Don’t worry if you still have a question, the team will be in and out the next week, but you can still drop into the Town Hall, telephone us on 024 7637 6376 or even ask your question on this blog and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Residents Out In Force at The Cabbage

The rearranged community forum for Stockingford and Arbury took place on Tuesday night, with the presentation about the Core Strategy being the main attraction.

Over 100 people attended the meeting to hear about the strategy and express their concerns. The main issue was the possibility of building on the land adjacent to Seeswood Pool and residents shared their knowledge of the area with the team about the presence of mine shafts and that many residents already experience flooding in their gardens.

Residents also raised concerns about the infrastructure that would be needed to support additional homes, such as schools, hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and roads.

The community have decided to rally round and meet again next Tuesday to discuss the comments they would like to log about the Issues and Options document.

With only just over a week to get your responses in, there is no time to delay – make sure you take the chance to have your say!

Communities for em?

Last night at Whitestone and Bulkington Community Forum a crowd of about 70 people turned up to see the Core Strategy presentation.

The crowd were passionate and there was a variety of enquiries for the team.  The first, and one that has cropped up at a lot of the consultation events, was about the infrastructure in the local area should the developments go ahead.  With this in mind it’s important to be aware that wherever the additional housing is built, sufficient infrastructure will be incorporated.  Careful consideration will be taken in the form of  the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

There was also concern which echoed an earlier consultation, when some Bulkington residents feared that they would lose their status as a village if the developments ‘bridge’ them with surrounding urban land, or if housing was built on green-belt land.  Other residents had concerns about ‘overspill’ from other areas and on this we can confirm that although we have been told we must accommodate some of  Coventry’s overspill, we will not have to provide housing for anywhere else.

 

The next chance for you to have your say and fill in an opinion form is at the Town Hall in Nuneaton (committee room A) on Monday 20th July, or on Tuesday 21st July at the Arbury and Stockingford Community Forum.

Community Spirit Shines Through

We attended the Galley Common Residents Association Meeting on Monday night after receiving an invite from the group asking us to take the Core Strategy presentation. Over 40 people attended the event, and most had read up about the plan and had plenty of questions to ask.

Concerns were raised about the proposed Gypsy sites, the number and types of housing that will be built and the roads and infrastructure that would need to be in place. Rest assured, all of these concerns are things that would need to be carefully considered before locations for future development are selected.

Consultation is a two way process which was proved by the residents association who passed on information the local area that the Planning Policy was not aware of. The fact that the village is already struggling with the lack of community facilities in the area, the shortage of bus routes, and worries that the school would not be able to accommodate more children, were just some of the issues raised.

The group displayed a real community spirit, and a real desire to retain the village status of Galley Common. All members pledged to have there say in the consultation – now it’s you turn to have yours!

Village people share concerns

Yesterday there were two consultations taking place. The first was at Bedworth Heath Community Centre in the morning, followed by Bulkington Village Centre in the afternoon.

It’s fair to say that yesterday was one of the quietest days for the consultation team so far.  The few people who were in attendance at Bedworth Heath did however share one thing, a concern over how the Coventry over-spill will affect the Bedworth infrastructure, in particular the slip road which leads on to the A444 from Bedworth.  With regards to this it is worth mentioning that wherever new housing, employment and retail land is built, suitable infrastructure will be incorporated into the developments.

At Bulkington, the team were busier and the prevelant issue  seemed to be the concern from Bulkington residents that any developments could possibly link them to Whitestone, and they would therefore lose their ‘villlage’ status. 

The team is starting to notice a real cross-section of questions and concerns as the consultation goes on, as always it’s important that everyone fills in an opinion form to make sure their thoughts are registerd.

Business as usual

Last night the consultation team attended a meeting of the Federation of Small Businesses.  The concerns from those present were slightly different to the majority of questions aimed at the team so far. There was a lot of interest in how the additional housing would affect local businesses and infrastructure, and also the amount of employment land that is being created as part of the Core Strategy.

Today the roadshow headed back to Bedworth Town Centre, having visited only a few weeks ago.  Once again there was much interest in how the Coventry overspill could affect the area.  One particular couple were all for the developments taking place in Bedworth, as they felt it could bring new retail opportunities and a variety of shops to the town centre.  There was a real mix of people on the streets of Bedworth today and it seemed that the sunshine brought out the conversation in people as there were some real in-depth discussions taking place at the stand. 

Next stop for the roadshow is Bedworth Heath Community Cenrtre on Monday 13th July from 10am – 12 noon  and then Bulkington Village Centre from 1pm -3pm.

As always, we hope to see you there!