Wallflower House Four New Dwellings

	Click images to enlarge
Rectory & Halls Opposite Site	Wallflower House Site	Housing Opposite Site

UPDATE 08 JUN 20: BOB has finally got an update from BPC - This is "currently before the court to correct the error". For BPC's submission to NSC see here.  

UPDATE 16 MAY 20: Permission GRANTED, yet:

• "The proposal is considered to have an adverse impact on the setting of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul ...
• ... would constitute an overdevelopment of this site which would be out of character with surrounding area ...
• ... would have an unacceptable overbearing impact on the nearest neighbours ...
• The limited depth of the proposed front gardens would not allow the proposed car parking and garage spaces ..."

It is unknown whether BPC convened a meeting and/or voted on a response to this application

(NB :19 May 20: A comment on a facebook group stated, "... on the Delegated report the comments supposedly from Bleadon Parish Council were in fact comments made by me. Bleadon Parish Cobuncil (sic) comments had been in fact been omitted (I spoke to the Bleadon Parish Clerk who confirmed this). I tried phoning Planning for clarification regarding this. Spoke to Helpdesk advisor who agreed it was confusing and gave me an email address to contact, I emailed only to receive a reply saying Planning Applications couldn't be dealt with via email. I rang the Clerk of Bleadon Counci who is contacting Richard Kent for clarification and will get back to me asap."

(Due to COVID situation BPC is not publishing any minutes documenting their democratic decision making and/or expenditure but there appears to have been a comment made in their name in the Delegated Officer's Report (who REFUSED this application 15 May 20). Also NSC has made all comment submissions anonymous? How will the public know how many individual comments, as opposed to multiple submission by the same person/organisation were made?)

UPDATES: Design & Access, Historic England, Conservation & Heritage, Archeology

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A new application at Wallflower House, 30 Coronation Road

"Demolition of existing house, workshop and outbuildings and erection of 4no. new dwellings" 

Comments deadline is 30 April 2020. Here is the link to the application 20/P/0285/FUL on North Somerset Council Planning website. 

If you prefer to post your comments then the postal address is:

North Somerset Council Development Management

Post Point 15

Town Hall

Weston-super-Mare

BS23 1UJ

If you do make comments on this BOB blog (below), please also make sure that they are made to, and appear on, the North Somerset website link as above. As otherwise they will be ignored by NSC.

NB: Due to COVID-19 restrictions Bleadon Parish Council may not be meeting publicly to discuss this application. It should also be noted that there were few objections to an application on the site opposite (18/P/4415/FUL) with BPC agreeing that, "The principle of development on the site was accepted, and the general design was in keeping with the surrounding properties" (Min 317.6).

For those who are unaware, under North Somerset Council's current Local Plan (Core Strategy), Bleadon is classed an Infill Village that permits development within a defined settlement boundary, which this site is most definitely included. 

The centre of the village has been eroded over many years especially with the old shop and post office closing in mid 2000s, moving outside the village to Purn. The existing housing surrounding this site is of varying ages and styles, not all historic thatched roof stone cottages, with plenty of modern examples on show such as the very modern building immediately adjacent/behind the site, the Rectory & Church Rooms opposite, as well as nearby and the wider village such as Peartree Gardens, Tenterk Close, The Barton, etc.

Architectural design is of course very subjective, but IF the Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP), desired by BPC and started in 2017, had progressed beyond a simple survey, then any publicly/resident agreed design guide for NDP permitted housing development sites may have been able to control this aspect of the planning process. However, Bleadon's housing requirement has never been stated or publicly discussed. The NDP hasn't even been drafted or publicly discussed, let alone approved by NSC and residents at a referendum, or adopted for use in determination of applications.

Ultimately NSC will judge this application via their established planning policies that BPC and all residents/public are able to influence via comments and consultation. So as usual, if you do have strong opinions on this development make sure you comment via NSC and not just on local facebook groups or indeed this blog.

NB: Bleadon's Village/Settlement Boundary will be reviewed via the New Local Plan Consultation and it should be noted that Bleadon Parish Council (BPC) has already stated that a flex of the existing boundary may be acceptable, especially via its NDP sub-group, and as indicated in BPC's last review response, 10 Dec 2018 seen here.

North Somerset's New Local Plan Consultation states:

"To provide clarity for future neighbourhood plans, the Local Plan will identify the housing requirements on a parish basis in the strategic policies" and

 

"any neighbourhood development plans that are “made” in the next three years becoming out of date as soon as the new Local Plan is adopted."

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG):

Regulations linked to the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean that no elections or referendums can take place until 6 May 2021.