ADVEARSE had an online meeting with the developers Barratts/Vistry (B/V) on 13 June. Notes of meeting set out below. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. A further update on the planning application will follow shortly.

Notes of meeting B/V and Advearse – 13 June 2022

1. Attendees – DM (B/V) KP (Vistry) BB (Advearse)
2. Update from B/V – DM used a presentation to outline the changes which have been made in the revised submission and the current timescales. The notes below refer to the key points which emerged. The enclosed drawings though were presented to the Town Council working group and relevant drawings issued to them.
3. Planning Process

• B/V hope that the revised plans will be heard at the 4^{th of} August Planning Committee. With delays and cost inflation B/V maintain the desires, principles and delivery of the extras and scheme itself but must have a delivery format in terms of a planning permission so the 4^th is key to them and that is the target and PPA programme.
• Ongoing and extensive detail has occurred with the Planning team
• There will be a 3-week planning consultation (statutory timescale). BB expressed concern that public may not yet be aware. ADVEARSE will promote via website.
• B/V have details on the Foundry Lea portal and ADVEARSE will provide their own link.
• ADVEARSE will urge DC to promote the consultation period.
• B/V remain open for suggestions from the local community and ADVEARSE happy to be a conduit for these.

4. Design

• B/V have submitted the revised design code which have now been approved in principle by DC – this being one of the conditions of the outline planning consent. The new designs do reflect the vernacular street designs in Bridport in terms of styles of building, details e.g., door arches, building materials, roof heights. These particularly provide the aspects on the main routes through the estate and further design work to ‘soften’ the views and create areas more of a rural edge (e.g. around Vearse Farm itself) has been put in place.
• Areas around the listed building have become more of a ‘farmstead’ feel
• 3 character areas / styles have been created.
• B/V see these as improved and ADVEARSE accept that they do reflect the varied architectural styles in the town.

5. Housing

• Unit numbers stay the same
• Affordables – the full 35% requirement will be met plus an additional 37. A contract is in place with the Housing Association for the Vistry affordable housing totalling 122 units.

6. Sustainability

• Overall, B/V are facing having to plan for 3 types of building regulations – present ones, new ones already agreed, the future regulations from 2025 which have yet to be determined . B/V’s strategy remains ‘Fabric First’ i.e., high degree of insulation.
• Car charging points to be included with plots
• On development communal car charging remains – both these will be looked after by the residents management company / relevant provider.
• Bike hub- have been allowed for and B/V working with Town Council to identify parking hubs in town so they are integrated.
• Trying to avoid using gas at any stage but the physical grid infrastructure and supply of technology at scale plus the cost of the upgrade to the Bridport electricity supply is a concern they are trying to address if possible. Cost and delivery to be confirmed.

7. Miles Cross

• Highways England have given technical approval to the design
• DC yet to approve and are being notably chased as the present hold up.
• B/V will go to tender once Planning Permission is granted – tender and approved HE contractors prepared –
• Letter to the MP to be written by B/V
• Aim for October start and 26-week build

8. Sewage and Flooding

• B/V acknowledge concerns in the community.
• Wessex Water are working with the B/V following formal requests and payments from B/V to agree delivery and improvement works.
• B/V will provide a formal update and note at the planning committee

9. Sports pitches and facilities

• In the plans as per Sports England requirements.
• B/V have extended at B/V cost the changing building to now include a kitchen and covered terrace to give opportunities for clubs/organisations to raise income at the request of the authority (Sport England)
• BB not convinced that this was tied into to a strategic view of the facilities in Bridport. This is not B/V’s fault, but it needs addressing as it would be a shame not to coordinate properly.
• B/V expressed they did not want nor feel reasonable to have an objection from Sports England but committed as above to further post approval conversation

10. Employment Land

• B/V -will as per agreement provide the services up to the Colfox land.
• Colfox talks of commercial interest but details not made available at this stage. B/V are confident that the employment land will come forward and have a good relationship with the agent but it is not in their control.
• Colfox aware of the issue and S106 obligations. He has expressed via his retained agent to fully comply and has expressed buy-in to the ideology and delivery.
• B/V maintain they want to see the commercial come forward for community benefit.

11. Local working Group

• B/V happy if a ADVEARSE rep joins the group.
• B/V envisage this group continuing to advise on the project as it evolves in the build stages.

12. Ongoing dialogue

• B/V and ADVEARSE reiterated the value in a continuing dialogue and an open constructive relationship.
• ADVEARSE had prepared a position statement ready for a planning hearing in say March. They will now prepare one to reflect the revised plans .

Barry Bates 14 June 2022

In the last few days amended detailed plans have been submitted for Vearse Farm (Foundry Lea).

The link to Dorset Council planning portal for this application is:

https://planning.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=377403

Advearse, along with many other interested parties and members of the public, submitted comments and objections to the previous detailed plans. For the last 6 months the developers Barratts/Vistry have been working with the council to amend the detailed plans.

We have an online meeting with the developers on Monday 13th June when they will present an overview of the changes made. We are keen to understand how they have addressed all the objections and concerns previously raised and will report back on the result of this meeting.

The closing date for comments is 8 July. During the next 3 weeks we will go through the amended plans and post our draft comments. This is a big task as there are over 250 new documents loaded onto the council planning portal!

Please feel free to send us any comments you may have or any issues you would particularly like us to look into. Also take the opportunity to make your own views known by commenting on the plans.

As previously reported these plans will go to the Dorset Council Western & Southern planning committee. No date has been set but given the closing date for comments it is likely that this will be 4 August, at the earliest, or 15 September or 13 October.

It would be great to have as many people as possible attend and speak at the meeting. Whilst it is not feasible to halt the application there is an opportunity to pressure the planning committee to make sure that the plans really do meet the needs of Bridport.

A further piece of news is that an Advearse member will be added to the Foundry Lea working Group, which includes representatives from Bridport Town council, the developers and other interested parties. We will use this as an opportunity to represent the views of local people as the development progresses.

On 17 January Adverse met with Chesters Harcourt agents for Symondsbury to discuss the employment land. No plans are yet prepared for any scheme and at this stage they are assessing occupational interest, design and investment timing.

It is not to late to comment on the planning application. Although the deadline was 17th January Dorset Council have promised to consider all responses received.

Please find below the link to the planning application. Click on this link or cut and paste onto your browser. This will take you to the DC planning portal. You just need to click accept on their terms and conditions (bottom of page).

This will take you to the application. You will then be able to click on the box “make comments” at the bottom righ hand side of the page and then submit any comments you want to make.

On the first page of the application you can click on documents tab at top of page to see all the various documents associated with the application and also see all the public comments.

https://planning.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=377403

Below is the link to the final version of our response to the Foundry Lea reserved matters application. We will be uploading this onto the Dorset Council planning portal tomorrow (Sunday).

http://www.advearse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Advearse-response-DRAFT-9.doc

Monday 17th is the deadline for responses – so if you have not already responded please take the opportunity to register your views. We would be grateful if you refer to our response – hopefully to say you are in agreement. Please feel free to use any part of our response in your comments!

There are now over 100 public comments – the vast majority objecting to the plans and highlighting a large number of deficiencies.

The reality is that if these plans go through in their current state the downsides for Bridport will be severe and far outweigh the claimed benefits.

We don’t expect the whole application to be thrown out – but demand delays while a large number of urgently needed improvements are made to the plans. Also, we can expect to have the planning application determined at a public meeting so the views of Bridport residents can be heard.

BTC Planning Committee meeting will be discussing the Foundry Lea (Vearse Farm) application this Monday. The issues and concerns that they have already raised will be under discussion. There will be an update from the Foundry Lea working group which holds meetings with various parties including the developers.

Members of the public are invited to call in using Zoom and can if they wish raise points with the committee during the public forum at the beginning of the meeting. To do this you need to contact Will Austin who will allocate you a three-minute slot to speak). Alternatively you can just listen in on the discussion!

Please find attached below link to the the agenda with the Zoom meeting link included.

A-10-01-22-1.pdf (bridport-tc.gov.uk)

Dorset Council have extended the deadline for comments on the reserved matters planning application for Foundry Lea (Vearse Farm) to 17 January!

Seems that the council have listened to the concerns about the rushed consultation. Hopefully they will also listen to the mass of other concerns about this development.

A comment on the detailed plans has been lodged by Phil George. Phil has rightly questioned how the required level of scruitiny of these plans can be made in such a short time. Oversights made now will have serious consequences – most likely for the people of Bridport and not the developers or Dorset Council!

“I am writing to express concern over the latest stage of the proposed Housing development at Foundry Lea / Vearse Farm, Bridport. In particular the potential lack of due process,diligence and questionable practice which comes with such a limited time frame. 

It seems  inconceivable that a planning officer can process hundreds of vital, complex, detailed documents and plans with essential multiple consultations and the need for scrutiny and comments from multiple stakeholders,properly, in what amounts to fewer than 20 working days with the Christmas holidays in the middle of the period. I note that the so called ‘Consultees’ process with 30 parties started on the 6/12/21 ends on the 27/12/21, 13 working days? Why is this huge project which will have with enormous impact on Bridport, being rushed through this vital process and why is it being dealt with under delegated powers? 

Should proof of attention to detail be required, perhaps a visit to the literally hundreds of documents contained in the application would be a good idea. As within 30 seconds I noted the ‘detailed’ plans actually have the site name wrong? Not a great start I am sure you would agree?”