Editor’s Note: This is arguably the most important and controversial issue in Bridport. This initial note explains some of the story so far.
THE SOUTH WEST QUADRANT of Bridport is the old quarter of town roughly bounded by the River Brit to the west, West Street to the north, South Street to the east and St Mary’s church to the south. Precise definitions vary.
The area began to be developed in the late 18th century. It continued to expand up until the middle of the 20th century. It encapsulates a major part of Bridport’s industrial history, as Mike Williams writes in the English Heritage book Bridport and West Bay: The Buildings of the Flax and Hemp Industry (2006):
“In spite of extensive demolition and alteration, intact examples of all the building types of the local flax and hemp industry still survive in the area, including open and covered walks, warehousing, workshops, mills and housing.
“The South West Quadrant is one of the earliest industrial suburbs in the country and is now the best illustration of the distinctive townscapes created by the expansion of Bridport from the late 18th century.”
West Dorset District Council, which owns part of the Quadrant, has long wanted to redevelop the area for new commercial uses and for housing. A planning application, made jointly with another major landowner, was turned down in August 2009. An appeal against this decision has been lodged.
Objectors – and there are many – want to continue their so-far successful fight against what’s proposed by raising funds for a lawyer to fight at the appeal hearing next year.
Now read on…
An Open Letter from the Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate (on the SW Quadrant)
IT HAS become evident that our district council, as co-owner of the SW Quadrant, is determined to impose an urban development on Bridport without the usual regulations, consideration for heritage, or community, or involvement from anyone in Bridport. Consequently we believe it is essential to attain legal representation, which is estimated to cost £1,500.
You Can Help
Please help preserve the character of Bridport by donating. There are collection boxes at Leakers bakery, Bridport Arts Centre, Fruits of the Earth and Cornucopia Vintage. Cheques can be made payable to Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate.
Your donation may help to prevent:
- Even less parking than at present
- More traffic congestion in town
- 5-storey blocks of flats
- Coaches redirected out of town
- A reduced bus station
- The demolition of Historic buildings
- The loss of St Michael’s Community of tradesmen, retailers, craftsmen, artists, designers, the South West’s only indoor skate arena, etc, etc…
Urgent
To help prevent the high impact development in Bridport’s SW Quandrant please write down your objections and send three copies, by the 17th November 2009, to:
The Planning Inspectorate,
Room 3 / 19a Temple Quay House,
2 The Square,
Temple Quay,
BRISTOL
BS1 6PN
and quote ref APP/F1230/A/09/2113294, and WDDC ref 1/D/08/000574
For each person that registered support for the Quadrant development in May there were 43 who registered opposition (131 against and three in support).
At the second development control meeting in August, more than thirty Bridport residents spoke against the proposal to a packed hall (while many were not permitted to speak), with only two in support. More than 1,500 people have signed a petition demanding that the development should be restricted to 80 dwellings (as was the recommended quantity for this site), and that the existing trading community should be preserved.
Local plan policy DA5 states that new buildings should not detract from the character of the surrounding area, and views of local landmarks or hills should not be significantly infringed
If the demolition or refurbishment of premises does not succeed in killing off established businesses, then the allocation of just one parking space for each business certainly should do the job.
The district council, who can in this case process their own proposal, have chosen to circumnavigate all normal regulations in order to cram in as many flats as possible into a convenient brown field site in the heart of Bridport. WDDC officers, who are happy to destroy our local businesses and our heritage just to fix short-term quotas, without a care for a town of exceptional character, are making a big mistake.
Anyone can see that if you prevent the arrival of coaches to a town centre and also reduce parking facilities and traffic flow you cannot claim to be ‘regenerating’ anything other than the flow charts of the district council and developers’ rear pockets. Housing is needed in West Dorset yes, but the scale of this development shows no consideration for the impact on Bridport, its past or its future.
There is, additionally, growing concern for the hundreds of teenagers who currently enjoy and are developing skills at the only indoor BMX arena in the South West here in Bridport: an example of how a historic net-making warehouse can be used to the benefit of the whole community. This historic building, the ‘Stover’, has been targeted for demolition to make way for a 5-storey block of flats.
Help preserve the character of Bridport!
Thank you – Friends of St Michael’s Trading Estate
(Editor’s Note: This letter has been lightly edited to ensure greater consistency with the stylistic rules of this website. The sense of the words has not been altered).