25th January 2012

BRIDPORT: Campaign to save 'unique' part of town

By Paul Crompton

 

A MEETING by campaigners battling to save a ‘unique’ corner of Bridport from developers will be held tonight.

 

 

Campaign group The Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate (FSMTE) is calling residents to join the fight to protect the South West Quadrant. The public meeting will be held in St Mary’s Church Hall tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30pm.

FSMTE called the meeting so residents could voice their thoughts on plans to develop the area known locally as the Vintage Quarter – a hub of indoor markets and artists’ studios.

The outline planning application is to build 66 houses, four maisonettes and 35 flats, new commercial floor space and provision for the ‘Trick Factory’ on the estate. 

Owners of St Michael’s Trading Estate, Hayward and Co, have lodged the planning application. But campaigners fear re-development will jeopardise more than 200 jobs based on the estate – including 35 traders.

A FSMTE spokesman said: “The estate is Bridport’s golden goose and to build houses on it would be to kill that golden goose.

“We are angry, astonished, in disbelief and outraged at the plans. I’d say that 90 per cent of residents believe this area is a prime asset for the town and the idea of putting a housing estate on here is ridiculous.

“People love what is happening here, it’s unique and so special for Bridport and to get rid of it is complete stupidity.”

He added: “We are extremely keen for the community and anybody who cares to register their objection to the council to come along and speak at tonight’s meeting.”

Business leaders and district councillors have joined the campaign urging West Dorset District Council and town council planners not to sanction the development.

Richard Payne-Whithers, a businessman on the estate and FSMTE member, said: “I just think why destroy our livelihood and interests. I’m all for the site to be improved but it has to be sympathetic to the traders.”

Mike Harvey, president of Bridport Chamber of Commerce, said the main thing was to continue expanding St Michael’s, which would be impossible if they built houses there.

He said: “You cannot continue to grow jobs by dotting employment areas in small patches around the town. It’s better to keep them in one place.”

Laura Fryer and Andrew Locke were in Bridport for the first time specifically to visit the Vintage Quarter to buy furniture for their home in Winchester.

Architect Ms Fryer viewed the plans when campaigners set up a stand in Bridport town centre on Saturday, January 21st.

The 28-year-old said: “Having only seen the plans on show today it seems the scheme doesn’t integrate with the local surroundings. It would be sad to see the area go.”

A spokesman from Hayward and Co were unavailable for comment.

A town Council spokesman said it would be considering the plans for the site at its next Plans Committee on February 6th.  

The application is currently undetermined and comments are invited by West Dorset District Council by February 3rd. To view the plans visit http://bit.ly/w2u0o9

• TONIGHT’S meeting is due to hear an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS) is drawing up a blueprint to buy St Michael’s Trading Estate. The IPS - named Enterprise St Michael’s (ESM) - is a non-profit making organisation consisting of councillors including Ros Kayes, Bridport Chamber of Commerce, residents and Friends of St Michael Trading Estate members.

ESM members want to create affordable units for start up businesses and develop skills and learning apprenticeships for young people on the industrial estate.

Town and district Councillor Ros Kayes, who will not sit in on planning meetings while the application is being processed, said it was important to keep the estate as employment land.

She said: “I feel it’s so important that we begin to organise a body that could start to invest in the area. We want that area to be developed for local businesses as employment land and we don’t support the building of houses there. It’s very difficult to get employment land in West Dorset and we want St Michael’s to stay as it is.

“We need employment land and that estate is full, there’s plenty of people who need those units so we want to work toward regenerating the estate without building houses.”

An ESM spokesman said they wanted to buy the estate for the community and develop the site.

He said: “We have several key aims, one of which is to keep it as an industrial estate so we can keep employment here, which is very, very important. The society is about maintaining all the things that are important in keeping Bridport vibrant.”

 

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