Memorandum submitted by Thrupp Parish
Council (BW 101)
REGENERATION OF
BRIMSCOMBE PORT
When British Waterways brought forward the idea
of regeneration of the local canals and Brimscombe Port some years
ago Thrupp Parish Council took the lead in local consultations
and in the creation of a regeneration plan to which the local
community had full input and to which, after three public meetings,
the local community had given its consent and backing.
British Waterways, (BW), subsequently used the
Parish Regeneration Plan in its negotiations with the Heritage
Lottery Fund and on each occasion representatives of the Fund
visited Brimscombe Port for fact-finding, etc, representatives
from the Parish Council were fielded by BW to explain and sell
the Parish's Canal/Port Regeneration Plan.
The Parish Council always invited representatives
from BW and Stroud District Council to attend its meetings and
believed assurances given that the mutual sharing of information
and ideas about the project would continue.
Subsequent events have not been so reassuring.
The Parish Council is currently reviewing the
community's Plan to update it taking into account property acquisitions,
business developments, etc. so that it keeps pace with the latest
situation. In doing so, it has sought discussions with BW and
has found that while giving lip service to community consultation
no information about the project, especially as it affects the
Port, will be divulged. This despite a written assurance from
Richard Hanbury, the Chairman of the Canals Partnership, that
the community will be kept informed.
In the early discussions about the project the
main driving force was said to be the number of visitors likely
to be attracted to the area. At that time, the enthusiasm of the
local community was summed up in the phrase, "Putting the
Heart back into Brimscombe". The concept, often encouraged
by BW, was of the attraction of visitors by boat, car or public
transport to see a revitalised, busy Port with the possibility
of, eg, taking a meal or snacks and coffee, shopping and walking
around the various features, including the island, which was a
feature of the original Port, and a large area of water. The parish
expected some housing and industry as part of the mix.
When the Heritage Lottery Fund decided that
it would support only a limited part of the project the emphasis
shifted to the regeneration of "heritage structures".
The scope of the scheme was reduced so that the canal would go
from Brimscombe to Stonehouse only; meaning that visitors would
be unable to reach the area by boat and tourism took a back seat
in discussions.
When this shift happened, the Parish Council
became concerned that the Port regeneration was likely to be business-lead
and that if a heart was to be put into Brimscombe it might well
be an industrial heart with little feeling for the local community.
The Parish Council's concerns were underwritten when British Waterways
explained that there was a £2 million shortfall between the
grants it had attracted and the total cost of the regeneration
of the canals and Port and it was planned that development of
the Port would fund the shortfall. Two months ago the Parish Council
met Andrew Stumpf, the BW Project Manager and he explained to
it that a developer stood to make most profit from housing. Industrial
development would yield much less and affordable housing would
be of no interest whatsoever to developers.
The idea of a large tract of housing on the
Port has strengthened with the information, provided by BW's Community
Links Involvement Co-ordinator, that is it proving difficult for
BW to attract a developer for the Port without an idea of what
is to be built there. To overcome this problem and to provide
"a level of planning certainty" BW is "working
with SDC to test some scenarios in planning terms to give us some
idea what the consequences could be for, say, no housing, 50 houses,
100 houses or 370 houses—in planning terms, area of water,
transport and funding shortfall". The progression from
50 to 100 and then to not 200 by 370 houses is not lost on the
Parish Council. There is also the concern that `provision of planning
certainty' may outweigh meaningful consultation with the local
community.
Despite the various blandishments offered to
the Parish Council over time about proper consultations it finds
itself with the deadline for commencement of development ever
closer but with no shred of information to offer its parishioners.
You may have seen the most recent announcement
by Stroud District Council that it intends to create an Area Action
Plan specifically for Brimscombe. Within the statutory consultation
document it state:-
"The area has heritage significance
and also has potential to be a unique landmark feature within
the wider canals corridor. However, there are complex interactions
between the planning constraints, community and stakeholder aspirations,
potential restoration options and deliverability".
The constant invitation to input ideas without
any provision of factual information wears heavily on the parish
representatives in their updating of the Parish Regeneration Plan.
Without a shred of factual information the scope for wasted effort
is almost limitless. The "planning constraints" have
yet to be explained to the local community. At the same time "deliverability"
may be synonymous with "affordability" and make the
whole consultation exercise a farce.
At its last meeting, the Parish Council considered
the current state of play and noted from a recent television report
that you led a fact-finding tour of the various facets of regeneration
as bearing on Gloucestershire. Councillors are unaware how much
detailed information was provided to you but would be most grateful
if there is any information which you have gleaned, particularly
about Brimscombe Port, which you could divulge.
Any help you can provide in support the local
community's efforts to put the heart back into Brimscombe rather
than lining a few developers' pockets would also be very much
appreciated. The community has made it clear that it welcomes
an element of housing within a mixed redevelopment so as to provide
round-the-clock activity, but does not want serried rows of housing
with a narrow ribbon of stagnant water through them. Equally,
it does not want a "yuppified" estate, but housing which
can benefit local residents.
Thrupp Parish Council
June 2007
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