Plans get a mixed reception
PROPOSALS to change the face of Bodmin with more jobs, more houses and a bigger town centre have been revealed.
Cornwall Council's Core Strategy and a draft Bodmin Masterplan went on show at the Public Rooms on Friday, outlining what is envisaged for a larger town by 2032.
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Residents of Bodmin with their petition opposing Cornwall Council plans for housing and a relief road.
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Residents of Bodmin with their petition opposing housing and a relief road.BOID20120203B-003_C
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Sue Pearce of Bodmin handing the petition to Paul Webber of Cornwall Council's planning department.
Up to 5,000 new houses could be built, or the number could be pegged at 1,000.
Congestion
If the higher number was adopted, many would be built to the north of the town, which would help pay for a relief road to cut congestion along Dennison Road and free up the area to be developed as an extension to the town centre.
However, opposition to the housing expansion and the relief road was evident at the exhibition when people living in the Bodiniel area handed in a petition against both proposals to council planning officer Paul Webber.
Sue Pearce, who lives in the area where the new road and houses are envisaged, said it wasn't just the owners of neighbouring properties who were against the schemes.
"Over 200 people signed the petition in just four days, and they come from all over Bodmin," she said. "This amount of housing isn't needed, and we don't need the northern distributor road either.
"There are other areas like the old Ranko site on Dunmere Road which could be developed into housing, without ruining the countryside to the north of the town."
Many people said they felt more quality jobs were needed and infrastructure improvements had to be in place before Bodmin could begin to think about an expansion of housing which would double the population of the town.
Town councillor Phil Kerridge said: "I'm not in favour of 5,000 houses. I'm in favour of new jobs for Bodmin which will require 5,000 new houses, and the necessary infrastructure which will lead to development of the town centre."
Lance Kennedy, his town council colleague and Cornwall councillor for Bodmin East, pointed out that more people currently worked in Bodmin than lived there.
"We need more houses because we need these people to actually come here to live and spend their money locally," Mr Kennedy said.
Objectives
Pat Rogerson, Cornwall councillor for Bodmin Central, said it would be hard to disagree with the objectives of the Core Strategy and draft Masterplan, but she wanted more emphasis to be placed on expanding the town centre.
"I welcome many of the ideas put forward by the consultants, but I'm a little disappointed that no consideration has been given to opening up land on the south side of Fore Street," she said. "It's a difficult site, but development's clearly taking place in a piecemeal fashion and I should like there to have been a more strategic assessment of the land so near the town centre."
Mrs Rogerson said she was in favour of the higher number of new homes, providing jobs and infrastructure improvements came first.
5 Comments
by TheodoreV
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 1:21PM
“There is a fundamental flaw in the Cornwall Council's approach to housing provision. Too frequently large housing developments are un-needed and damaging to ancient centres of population. They too often turn into run down areas that not only cost huge sums of public money to erect, then become a drain on the public purse by way of rent relief and other subsidies. Rather than soviet style plans to build houses just for the sake of it, they should always be subject to a rigorous needs approach. Houses should follow jobs not the other way around. If houses are built without jobs it just enshrines unemployment and the raft of associated problems. Finally the Cornwall Council envisages 100 000 more houses which equates to an increase in population of about 40%! How is this sustainable without significant improvements in infrastructure that are never mentioned? More roads, sewers, sewage works, reservoirs, schools, hospitals etc. etc. It is naive, disingenuous or incompetent to suggest that houses can be built in large numbers without thes deleterious social and environmental consequences.”
by Hanky_Spanky
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 1:00PM
“What a miserable looking bunch. At least the woman on the right is managing a smile.”
by esotericage3
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 12:50PM
“"We need more houses because we need these people to actually come here to live and spend their money locally," Mr Kennedy said. Once the proposed 5,000 houses are built, this will probably mean out of town supermarkets will start appearing, then the council will start imposing higher car parking fees for parking up and walking into town to spend what little cash you have as a customer. Small businesses will start to feel the pressure, and then what's left in terms of shops in Bodmin will close. It will either be shop at the supermarket or travel to Plymouth or Truro. 5,000 new homes will add great stress to an already affected area economically.”
by Doitdreckley
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 12:21PM
“Just because you build more houses in a place does not mean that people will go and live there. If anything, the ones who can afford to won't because they dont want to live on endless, facless estates. If there are better paid jobs they will vote with their cars and commute.”
by samoyeds
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 10:31AM
“There should be another meeting of an evening with a talk about the master plan, and for people to ask questions and to put across their concerns.”