On the SD C planning site the Hope is pictured like this. But not as it really is -as inset- ‘roofless’. A bit like the developers maybe.
Sedgemoor District Council has today registered a planning application from Land Promotions ltd for the Demolition of the Hope Inn former Public House on Taunton road and ancillary dwelling, the erection of a two/three storey building to form 22 apartments (15, two bedroom and 7, one bedroom), and the formation of parking and amenity space.
The application can be viewed here on the SDC planning portal with a deadline for comments by the 26th May 2015.
The Hope Inn has been the subject of a desperate battle to fend off demolition by Westover ward councillors, the Town Council and the Civic Society, which resulted in the property being put on the Community Asset Register and a stop order being placed by SDC to halt demolition. However, since this time the Hope Inn has been left roofless and open to all weather. Continue reading “Hope Inn facing new planning threat”
What future do we want for Bridgwater? Shall we plan it together or just give in to fast food and bookies…
The last meeting of the 4 year period of office of this current Bridgwater Town Council was held on Thursday 16th April and with members of the public in attendance, members of council in the departure lounge and a new council on the horizon, the table was cleared for the next generation.
Bridgwater Town Council is elected every 4 years and comprises of 16 councillors representing 7 wards around the town. The political balance is currently 14 Labour and 2 Conservative.
Elections are being held on Thursday 7th May and for advice on wards, candidates, polling stations and voting click here.
Is this the right place for the St.Margaret’s Hospice outreach centre?
The final Town Council Planning Panel for this period of office was held today under the chairmanship of elder statesman Cllr John Turner and featured several items of interest to Westover residents.
King Square Outreach Centre proposal
First item was the proposal to turn 12 Kings Square into an outreach centre for St Margaret’s Hospice. The application had come to previous panel as a late item and was broadly supported with some reservations regarding installing a lift in an historic 18th century building. The panel were also aware that there was widespread support for St.Margarets and their bid to have a Bridgwater base. Westover councillor Brian Smedley said there were concerns from residents about the location “Whilst we want to support such a centre in Bridgwater we could do better for them rather than putting them on this site. King’s Square has poor traffic access, especially for ambulances or minibuses, with no drop off facility on the Square itself and the proposed rear access is a backstreet which has largely pedestrian usage. The building is listed and is in a conservation area which is also becoming increasingly more residential. There are better places for them to locate an outreach centre for users and residents alike.” The panel voted to add an addendum to their submission raising these concerns. Continue reading “Town Council Planning Panel – Decisions for April”
Traffic impact Survey – Town Hall seeks solutions.
Following a meeting with Bridgwater town centre traders, Westover ward councillors were alerted to a serious downturn in trade due to the effect of the roadworks being carried out since February 2015 by EDF/SCC on the Taunton road and Broadway Junctions and impinging on St Mary street.
A subsequent meeting with ward councillors Brian Smedley, Kathy Pearce and Leigh Redman, town traders and EDF representatives plus contractors came to the following conclusions.
1. Works were effectively blocking entrance and access to the town centre and customers were being deterred from coming to Bridgwater to shop
2. If this continued long term, shopping patterns could change and the town centre would suffer considerable damage as a shoppers destination.
3. Town centre traders were suffering in the short term and some were in danger of being forced out of business in the interim
4. EDF said that they had paid £7million into a fund to mitigate against whatever the local authorities believed it should be used for.
Bridgwater people are fascinated by old pictures of their town. The shape of the streets and the lay of the land has hardly changed in generations and it’s easy to imagine the sailing ships in the river harboured along West Quay, the pavements thronged with shoppers visiting the ample supply of local shops and even the lines of traffic queuing through the gridlocked streets before we’d, er, sorted all that sort of thing out. Now Bridgwater artist Jim Goddard has brought it all back to life with a series of skillful ‘then and now’ images blending the old and new, creating ghostlike visions taking the viewer back in time by matching recent photographs with the same street scenes from days gone by
Jim Goddard has lived in Bridgwater for the past 7 years and photographs landscapes,portraits and animals. He also does astro and macro photography and turns some of his photographs into artwork either in the computer or with good old fashioned pen,paint and paper. Jim says “I was motivated to do the old/new collages as something that combined my interest in history and photography as a fun exercise.”
Fore street ‘then and now’ Jim Goddard
Jim initially posted his photographs on the popular Bridgwater Past & Present facebook site but has plans to exhibit them in the town “..hopefully at the Arts Centre.” He also has plans for a future personal website where he can continue to experiment with his photography. Jim explains “I intend to continue my ‘Then and Now’ and ‘Streets of Bridgwater’ projects and to continue working with my models for a yet to be named graphic art/photography project.”
Westover councillor and historian Brian Smedleysays “Jim’s meticulous and hauntingly evocative images of Bridgwater past and present are certainly inspiring in a town where past glories and lost heritage sit heavily in the minds of local people, who often feel their town is being taken away from them. They provide a window into more affluent times where communities were stronger, industry and commerce fed each other and people worked together to control the fruits of their labour and their natural environment. I was massively impressed when I first saw Jim’s work and for the first time I felt I was suddenly able to step back in time from the comfort of a familiar location. “
More prosperous times in Eastover. Photo by Jim Goddard.
Jim says “I don’t have any specific influences. I might see an interesting photograph and set out to try and recreate the style, then run with it, putting a new twist on it and seeing where it takes me. My portraits have been described as a bit gritty. I show things as they are, no photo-shopping away any imperfections. I try not to alter photographs at all. It’s usually just cropping to frame the subject better – ie;correcting my own errors not creating an untrue image.”
Jim can be contacted on tsunami0005@hotmail.com
Further examples of Jim’s work can be seen on the Angelwing Facebook site
