James Child - lead development partner.
Chris Beaver - GL Hearn planning consultants.
Minutes:
James Child - lead development partner and Chris Beaver - GL Hearn planning consultants gave a presentation to highlight a proposed application for employment and residential uses on a site at Kingston Farm, Bradford on Avon.
Points made included:
• Reversing 20-year employment decline in BoA by retaining existing high-skilled jobs and creating space for an additional 300 new jobs for the town.
• Meeting strategic housing allocation for BoA with 138 high quality family homes, including 20% affordable and a range of price points, phased over a period to 2019.
• A multi-million pound package of community benefits for roads and public amenities.
• New purpose-built 27,000sqft factory for Anthony Best Dynamics. Retain 45 high value, high skill existing jobs. Create 35 more jobs.
• New purpose-built 34,000sqft work-hub for small businesses in the creative and IT technology sectors. Space for up to 250 new jobs.
•
Convert existing
11,000 sqft ABD space for Moulton
Bicycle Company. Retain 17 high value, high skill existing
jobs.
Create 23 more jobs.
• Housing agreed by Wiltshire Council as delivering the bulk of the remaining Core Strategy strategic requirement for Bradford on Avon through to 2026.
•
138 beautifully
designed homes, from two-bed apartments to
five-bed houses, including 20% shared equity or social
rent.
• Gardens, allotments, woodland, fields and an environment rich in wildlife, trees and planting.
• £0.8m of offsite infrastructure – storm relief for Springfield, new roundabout at New Road/Holt Road junction, improved pedestrian access to town centre, contribution to Historic Core Zone.
• Foot and cycle ways bypassing Holt Road from New Road to Cemetery Lane.
• £0.9m contribution to BoA schools.
• Up to 5MW electricity generation from 15ha. of solar panels contributing to carbon neutral BoA.
• New open space and amenity for residents and people of the town.
Questions from the floor included:
Q. Will the proposed employment space remain as employment space, or be re-designated as residential, as Linden Homes are seeking with Kingston Mill?
A. The bulk of the employment space is not speculative, like Kingston Mill, it has end users who are waiting to occupy the premises. The Work Hub is being developed in association with the backers of the Glove Factory at Holt.
Q. Are extra amenities proposed?
A. Developer contributions would be made to Wiltshire Council for education, highway and open space improvements. The developers have also been in discussions with local GP practices and are considering support to the air quality campaign for investment in pedestrian and cyleway improvements, an electric bus and electric charging points in the new houses.
Q. Is the project fully funded?
A. Yes, it is not reliant on raising capital from investment markets. James Child has invested much of his own money into the scheme.
Other points made included:
· Residents of New Road and Springfield were concerned that they would take the brunt of extra traffic generation if the scheme was given the go-ahead.
· The forecasts of minimal traffic impact on the Town Bridge and through the town centre were seriously doubted. Even a 3% increase in the volume of vehicles would equate to 300 extra vehicles per day.
· Some local residents felt that the developers and their agents had not publicised the public consultation opportunities sufficiently well in the town.
· Concerns were expressed over the environmental and air quality impacts of more vehicles clogging up the town.
· Jobs would go to outsiders and would not benefit the town.
The Chairman thanked James Child and Chris Beaver for their presentation.