1st February 2012

BRIDPORT: Campaign to save Vintage Quarter gathers support

By Paul Crompton

A CAMPAIGN summit saw the community rally against plans to develop a corner of Bridport.

More than 100 people gathered to protest plans to redevelop a section of St Michael’s Trading Estate known locally as the Vintage Quarter – a hub of indoor markets and artists’ studios. 

Artists, residents and business owners packed into St Mary’s Church Hall to hear arguments from both campaigners and the trading estate’s co-owner Clive Hayward.

Last Wednesday’s summit was chaired by Andrew Leppard on behalf of the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate (FSMTE) group which called the meeting. He urged residents to write to town and district councillors with their concerns about the planning application before the public consultation closed on Friday (February 3rd).

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. 

Mr Lappard said: “Why increase the population of the town but reduce the potential to have jobs? It doesn’t seem the right way round to me. This area is irreplaceable as an employment site.”

Campaigners said up to 60 jobs created by the estate’s 35 traders could be lost if the land is developed. Mr Hayward refuted this claim.

Mr Hayward told the meeting: “Where I think I differ and my position differs from most of you is that in order to submit a planning application we are required, as best we can, to submit an application in accordance with planning policy that was given at the time.

“So, in short, the planning policy asked for a certain thing and we have to put forward an application that reflects that.”

The current policy adopted by West Dorset District Council in the 2006 Local Plan outlines proposals to build 80 dwellings on St Michael’s Trading Estate by 2016.

St Michael’s Trading Estate businessman Richard Payne, a FSMTE member, then told the meeting a group was forming an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS).

The IPS - named Enterprise St Michael’s (ESM) – would be a non-profit making organisation made up of councillors, Bridport Chamber of Commerce, residents and FSMTE members. ESM would then look to buy the estate and redevelop it.

Mr Payne said: “We are putting forward an idea and plans where the actual site can be developed sympathetically with the needs of Bridport.” 

But the meeting was told the estate – which generates up to £350,000 income a year– is not for sale.

Tim Crabtree, from Wessex Community Assets, said he had worked with successful IPSs throughout the South West and was optimistic a similar scheme would work in Bridport.

He said: “We must, as a community, continue the idea that there’s an alternative to a housing development on that estate. As somebody who cares about Bridport we have to be careful we don’t rip the economic heart out of the community. The plans festered on the community are not the plans the community want.”

Bridport Town Council will formulate a response to the application during its plans committee on February 6th.

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