SDC planning officer Nick Tait field his 300th question of the night, this time from Bob Cudlipp
Over 100 people turned out to have their say about the Future of Bridgwater’s Northgate site in the wake of the Tesco pull out. The meeting, which was held in the Trinity Hall in Westover, had been called by Bridgwater Town Council who believe there is a danger of landowners Sedgemoor and Somerset going off and doing their own thing without involving the people of the town, and was chaired by Cllr Steve Austen ,Mayor of Bridgwater.
Westover ward Councillor Brian Smedley started the evening with a powerpoint presentation of the 10 year history of Tesco’s involvement in the site which started and finished with everybody wondering what to do with these 2 patches of adjoining land –the Splash site, Brewery Field and the car parks (owned by Sedgemoor) and the Enterprise centre/old Workhouse/Blake Hospital site (owned by Somerset). Continue reading “Sedgemoor and Somerset Officers grilled at ‘straight talking’ Northgate Town Meeting”
A team of volunteer workers cleaning up the canal paths in the Westover ward of Bridgwater have drawn councillors attention to serious structural damage around the Albert street Bridge which they felt needed investigating. ‘Green Team’ worker Chris Lock posted photos of cracks in the canal walls supporting the bridge and the cuttings and alerted people to what look like a worsening problem.
Chris Lock said “It’s looking bad. It will take one big knock and it will come down. Plus the wall holding the soil back has come out. God forbid I really hope this doesn’t come down on someone. This part of the wall is really unsafe.”
Railings had been put in place by HiS clearly demonstating concern.
Cllr Brian Smedley visited the site and raised the concerns with Sedgemoor District Council’s Environment Depart who sent Building Control to have a look.
Dave Coles from Sedgemoor said “We sent Building Control immediatly to assess the cracked wall and whilst they don’t feel it poses an immediate risk we think some form of remedial work may be required and have therefore referred it to the relevant department at SDC to monitor and undertake any works that might be necessary to ensure any issues are addressed.”
‘Not looking good…’
Cllr Smedley added “We know that Homes in Sedgemoor did works on the road side of the bridge about 5 years ago and installed the railings to restrict access to the wall, so there’s clearly some history of concern with the site. But I am particularly concerned because this is right next to the area in West street where there was a major landslip some years back when the old school collapsed into the canal and you can still see the sizeable repair works (the different bricking). This needs addressing-because it;s like a crack in a windscreen,it’ll never go away and it’ll only get worse, so they need to get on with it. “
Tributes have been pouring in across social media for Chris and his team who have done such a great job in tidying up the stretch of canal and for alerting the authorities to the cracks in the Albert street bridge.
The ‘different bricking’ bearing testiment to the repairs after the nearby historic wall collapse on West Street.
Chris Lock’s Green Team with the Albert street Bridge in the background
Dr Peter Cattermole who has died this week, pictured receiving the Bridgwater Cup from Ken & Margo Richards.
Leading light in the Bridgwater Heritage Group, Dr Peter Cattermole, passed away on 16th March Dr Cattermole had been involved with the Blake Museum, The Bridgwater Civic Society and was a regular contributor on planning issues .He also had connections with West Somerset Railway Museum. He was also significantly helpful to the Town Council across a whole range of aspects – not least IT matters and the Museum.
He was Head of Science at the prestigious Winchester College before he retired to live in Friarn street in the Westover ward.
Tributes have poured in.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Bridgwater Steve and Stella Austen said “Truly sad news – he will be sadly missed by a lot of organisations in our town. His insight and energy was something to behold.”
Dr Cattermole pictured recently helping to preserve a 19th century Banner with Cllr Smedley & Dave Chapple, Chairman of the Civic Society.
Westover Councillor Brian Smedley said “Dr Cattermole constantly provided us with detailed information on challenging planning decisions, was a passionate defender of the town’s heritage and was a permanent thorn in the side of Sedgemoor District Council, who, it’s fair to say, he wasn’t very impressed with.”
Westover Councillor Kathy Pearce said “It’s a great sadness to lose someone so passionate about the town’s heritage. He will be missed.”
Wyndham Councillor Gill Slocombe said “A great loss to Bridgwater, so sad.I thought he was such an interesting character, always so full of amazing bits of wonderful knowledge. I loved his voice and could listen to him for hours”
Fairfax Councillor Pat Morley said “That is so sad, he really was a very special person.”
Eastover Town Councillor Bill Monteith said “Sad news. The Town has lost a valuable guardian. His diligence and attention to detail has undoubtedly saved many historic features within our Town. He will be missed.”
In a press statement today Sedgemoor District Council has revealed the figure it received from the failed Tesco development on Bridgwater’s Northgate site was just over £5m whilst Somerset County Council received £3,5m, making a grand total of £8,886,700.
Westover Councillor Brian Smedley said “The veil of secrecy over members which was imposed on us first in September 2014 to prevent us telling the public that Tesco were pulling out and then to prevent us telling the public the compensation payment, has finally been lifted. And we wonder-as we have all along – what they were trying to hide when a simple FOI has forced their arm.”Continue reading “FOI Requests force Sedgemoor to reveal Tesco compensation figure”
After 4 years of Sedgemoor District and Somerset County Councils threatening to build a giant Tesco Extra on Northgate and the Brewery Field, putting the town centre at risk, blighting the lives of nearby residents and flying in the face of the wishes of the people of Bridgwater the whole project has collapsed.
Bridgwater Town Council which consistently opposed the project in line with the majority views of the town is inviting members of the public to attend a meeting at Trinity Hall, St Saviours Avenue at 7.30 on Tuesday 24th March to have their say on what went wrong and importantly what we want for the future.
The landowners, Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council, have been invited to take part.
Asking what the public wants
“We want to ensure that the people who matter are involved from day one” Cllr Brian Smedley
Westover ward councillor Brian Smedleysaid “We’re back to square one with this project but the difference is that this time around we want to ensure that the people who matter are involved from day one. So if Sedgemoor and Somerset have plans for this site they need to consult with us first. This meeting is an opportunity for us to ask the community what it wants there and not to be told what’s best for them and then have everything done behind closed doors.”
The meeting will be chaired by Mayor of Bridgwater Steve Austen and will include a short presentation about the history of the Tesco project on Northgate, the key decisions taken along the way and the campaigns fought by local people to save their green space and their town centre. Thereafter the bulk of the meeting will be open to contributions from the floor and a report from the event presented to the first meeting of the new Town Council after May’s elections.
Alan Hurford, Town Clerk, put out a Press statement saying “The Bridgwater Town Council last evening 12 March decided to convene a public meeting to enable residents, the public at large and local organisations to put forward views and opinions on the future use of the land at Northgate. This followed a commitment at the town council meeting in January when it became clear the Tesco plans would not go ahead and members resolved to take a lead in suggesting alternative uses for the site. This is now seen as an integral part of the town centre in planning terms.”
