Inquiry into Coate Water begins today (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Inquiry into Coate Water begins today
8:40am Tuesday 15th November 2011 in News
Inquiry into Coate Water begins today
A MUCH-anticipated planning inquiry to decide the future of the Coate area is starting at the Steam railway museum today.
The developer has appealed against Swindon Council’s refusal of permission for 890 houses and a business estate on land to the east of the country park.
The inquiry is estimated to last six days, during which barristers for Swindon Council and the developers will make their cases in front of independent inspector Eddie Grace.
He will weigh the council’s decision against national, regional and local planning policy, and decide if the proposal should be approved.
Campaigners have spent the past few weeks handing out 5,000 postcards bearing messages of objection addressed to the planning inspectorate.
Jean Saunders, 65, of Longcot, hopes to speak at the inquiry as secretary of the Jefferies Land Conser-vation Trust, which has suggested alternative plans to protect the site as an educational nature reserve.
“We’re going to be bringing to the table a whole host of other concerns we raised,” she said. “Obviously there’s this issue of precedent – if planning permission is granted for this, it will just set a precedent for infill between the development and Coate Water itself.
“We’re going to be arguing strongly a case for protecting Richard Jefferies’ literary landscape.
“The third matter is protecting certain spaces that are within the area.
“There’s a nature reserve that’s right smack bang in the middle, Day House Copse – an extremely valuable habitat.”
The outcome is expected to be greatly affected by changes and proposed changes to planning guidelines and the weight Mr Grace gives to them. These include the local planning policy, the emerging Swindon Core Strategy, the Localism Bill, and the draft National Planning Policy Framework.
Dr Chris Barry, the former chairman of Chiseldon Parish Council’s planning committee, who will be speaking on behalf of the council, said: “I think we have a good case. The decision rests with the inspector and it’s a matter of how he interprets the two of these opposing cases.”
A Swindon Council spokesman said: “We are working hard to put forward the best possible case, and have hired consultants and a barrister to help us do this. The total cost will be around £70,000.”
The most recent set of plans for housing is smaller than the earlier application and the developer has claimed that impact on wildlife and the environment would be kept to a minimum.
It has offered a number of concessions, in particular a suggestion that it hand over control of the land between the planned development and the country park to a community-run trust.
Anyone interested in registering to speak at the appeal should turn up at 10am today.
Comments(23)
Highworth Lad
says...
12:10pm Tue 15 Nov 11
I 2 Could B
says...
12:23pm Tue 15 Nov 11
Highworth Lad wrote:True, although there's really only one reason this country now requires so many more new homes to be constructed.
Same old same old, dont build in my back yard. My god just let them build, where ever building compianes ask some one will object. The objecters did'nt object when they bought their home, so why can they when some new ones are to be built. PEOPLE NEED HOMES !
And that should NEVER have been allowed to happen. We'll all be paying for Labour's mistakes forevermore.
malctg
says...
12:41pm Tue 15 Nov 11
StillPav
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1:08pm Tue 15 Nov 11
Highworth Lad
says...
1:19pm Tue 15 Nov 11
I 2 Could B wrote:I agree, this country is in a sad state, shamefull state just to give the Labour lawyers wife more work. time to close the doors, but no goverment will, too scared ! Close the doors and if youo not supposed to be here automatic ejection out ! to may times do I see on the border programe, they arrest, the release to return to the police later, OH SHOCK they have disaperaed ! Thing is you cant blame them for comming here, if I was in the same posistion as them and I heard great things about England we would all come here. We need to send the message that Britain is not so great afterall. And be more forcefull at our borders... anyway I'll get off my soap box
Highworth Lad wrote: Same old same old, dont build in my back yard. My god just let them build, where ever building compianes ask some one will object. The objecters did'nt object when they bought their home, so why can they when some new ones are to be built. PEOPLE NEED HOMES !True, although there's really only one reason this country now requires so many more new homes to be constructed. And that should NEVER have been allowed to happen. We'll all be paying for Labour's mistakes forevermore.
Highworth Lad
says...
1:20pm Tue 15 Nov 11
I Too
says...
3:15pm Tue 15 Nov 11
The campaigners are not all nimbys.
(Not In My Back Yard?)
They don't all have Coate at their back yard.
Campaigners are based throughout the town, in Highworth and further beyond.
It's good to see that (Tory) SBC are finally trying to protect the area now that it's not so convenient to blame the ruling goverment
Highworth Lad
says...
4:39pm Tue 15 Nov 11
If swindon loves it soo much then pressure should be placed on the council to renovate the whole area and spend money on it, not on some usless wireless system in Highworth that doesnt work
trustnopolitician
says...
5:52pm Tue 15 Nov 11
Will the developers have to pay this ?
Its about time legal advice is made much less expensive and more freely avail;able anyway
The Lawyers always win
The Patrician
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7:51pm Tue 15 Nov 11
Random Username
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8:52pm Tue 15 Nov 11
Malkym
says...
10:53pm Tue 15 Nov 11
"About 20 residents turned out for the first day of the inquiry, which is being held at Steam Museum, in Kemble Drive." -SO WHY WEREN'T A&D at Steam today? Oh silly me they are in Oz With Wee Willie Carson and co. filming "I'm a non entity get me out of Coate" Oh & 20 out of 52k = approx 0.0500% of all those who "allegedly" signed said petition - hardly a ringing endorsement of support eh!!
Time for Jive Bunny, I Too, The Longcot One & Flicks to rally the troops -oops there are none!! Ah just as well because it'll soon be time to---BRING IN THE DOZERS!!”
Still About
says...
12:20am Wed 16 Nov 11
No need to get personal
Highworth Lad
says...
2:00pm Wed 16 Nov 11
Highworth Lad
says...
2:00pm Wed 16 Nov 11
Malkym
says...
5:27pm Wed 16 Nov 11
I Too wrote:I Too you're absolutely right I think you mean the Longcot one in so that's just about past Highworth via Shrivenham.
Highworth Lad, The campaigners are not all nimbys. (Not In My Back Yard?) They don't all have Coate at their back yard. Campaigners are based throughout the town, in Highworth and further beyond. It's good to see that (Tory) SBC are finally trying to protect the area now that it's not so convenient to blame the ruling goverment
So lets say most ar NIMBYs then.
Not long till the Dozers move in to scuppe the dreams of the Dozy!!
Still About
says...
9:03pm Wed 16 Nov 11
I know some campaigners from around Wessex.
The issue is bigger and further reaching than a silly little spat that you might have with one or two people.
Malkym
says...
12:37am Thu 17 Nov 11
Still About wrote:You seem to have a fixation about somebody called Martin ..and I believe Wessex was a fictional realm associated with King Arthur. Have you been watching too much Merlin or Camelot on TV perchance?
Is it really necessary to get personal Martin? I know some campaigners from around Wessex. The issue is bigger and further reaching than a silly little spat that you might have with one or two people.
The very point of this diatribe that these rose tinted "campaigners" as you call them lol! fail to see is that their precious Coate -for what its worth - won't be harmed, The smelly stagnant lake will still be there.
SBC are spending £70k of yours and my Council tax to "fight" a decision thats already a done deal, developers always win on appeal. As RandomUser alludes "I suspect many of the 52,000 names on that famous petition actually do think that the lake is to be drained and concreted over." What an absolute joke that was - Ant & Dec -give me strength! no wonder folk ridicule such ridiculous trivia. If 52k signed a petition how come only 20 were bothered enough to attend the hearing? The more you examine it the more laughable it becomes, Add in Rod The Blurs Wi-fi deal with Tricky Rikki, the Me(chronics) Institute The Locarno and the attractive run down town centre and you have the perfect example of an administration that couldn't organise a booze up at Arkells brewery.
Always Grumpy
says...
7:53am Thu 17 Nov 11
Malkym wrote:Ha ha, I'm really surprised all the blessed leaders of the campaign haven't already made an appearance by now - they haven't all died have they?
"Campaigners have been fighting to keep Coate Water free from development for several years and have raised a petition of 52,000 signatures." -INCLUDING ANT & DEC OF COURSE -those well known Coate lovers -from err err ah yes Newcastle!!!!!
"About 20 residents turned out for the first day of the inquiry, which is being held at Steam Museum, in Kemble Drive." -SO WHY WEREN'T A&D at Steam today? Oh silly me they are in Oz With Wee Willie Carson and co. filming "I'm a non entity get me out of Coate" Oh & 20 out of 52k = approx 0.0500% of all those who "allegedly" signed said petition - hardly a ringing endorsement of support eh!!
Time for Jive Bunny, I Too, The Longcot One & Flicks to rally the troops -oops there are none!! Ah just as well because it'll soon be time to---BRING IN THE DOZERS!!”
Well, I'm ready and waiting for them to start their well rehearsed babbling. If they haven't already died then we shouldn't have to wait too much longer.
Where are Ant and Dec when you really need them?
Still About
says...
12:49pm Thu 17 Nov 11
Have you forgotten who you are?
Have you forgotten where you live?
That would explain why you don't appreciate the surroundings and feel the need to be so rude to people
Malkym
says...
2:23pm Thu 17 Nov 11
If you are so certain of who I am why don't you come out of the closet and declare your true identity?
Ahh now then - we're back to the nitty gritty and what these forums are all about -opinions - you consider I'm rude and also Grumpy by the look of it - I of course don't. The save coate brigade OPINION is just that. Mine and others opinion is that they are delusional in trying to stop what is bound to be approved because there are no sound reasons not to. We live on an island space is limited, populations expand oh and wait a mo! of course silly me they need somewhere to live dont they? So anyone who thinks that any open space or view will remain as is for ever is sadly out of touch and NIMBYism is a joke.
Instead of prattling on about identities why don't you address the points I've made above? I'm clearly not the only one who thinks that it's laughable that the aforementioned much heralded petition is going to hold any sway with the decision makers even if it contains the scrawled signatures of two D class celebs who probably thought they were signing autographs and couldn't find their way to coate if you gave them a map. Also answer me this again mentioned above. How many of the 52k had Swindon or nearby local area addresses (there you go we can add in Saunders now) and why were were there only 20 at the appeal hearing. If, as has constantly been rammed down our throats by the pro coate faction, so many people were against the idea, where were all these dedicated people when push came to shove!
And what about Bluh & co? To quote Mr McEnroe - "You cannot be serious" and tell me you are happy about the way Pugwash & the crew of the SBC Black Pig are running the ship that has made such a lash up spending our money on stuff like the Wii-fi fiasco and now wants to waste another £70k on this appeal.?!
Highworth Lad
says...
1:36pm Mon 21 Nov 11
I 2 Could B says...
9:25am Tue 15 Nov 11