Since the launch of our website last month we have received some interesting feedback – here’s a flavour of the comments we’ve received, together with our response.
My husband and I will be first time buyers. When will these properties be ready and when will the development be completed?
“Our proposals for Canford Park are subject to consideration through the Local Plan process. If the Borough of Poole decide to support our proposals, new homes would be available from 2019 onwards. The development would be built out in phases over a ten year period.’’
May I suggest that you consider holding further consultation meetings in the Bournemouth area which will actually be affected by this proposed development?
The emerging Local Plan is focussed upon meeting the future housing and employment needs of the Borough of Poole and, hence, the apparent focus on Poole. However, we acknowledge that administrative boundaries mean little on the ground and that our initial ideas for Canford Park will be of interest to neighbouring communities.
For that reason we have publicised the public consultations across the conurbation, with regular articles appearing in the Daily Echo and other local media. In addition, all the exhibition display material is on our website, as well as a feedback form. So, if you can’t get to any of the public consultations, you still have the opportunity to carefully consider all the information and give us your views by the closing date of 15 October.
Go ahead, this looks to be a well thought out plan and much better than continually spoiling what is left of a once beautiful town. Just build enough schools as new estates mean new families!
We are very conscious that our proposals for Canford Park should be seen ‘in the whole’ and for that reason we have included a new local community centre which includes a new primary school, doctor’s surgery, playing fields, shops and a business park. All of this will be supported by high frequency bus services, new pedestrian and cycle routes, and a vast network of open spaces which will enhance public access to the River Stour.
Whilst housing stock might be required, have you actually considered the traffic situation which already exists on Magna Road? A potential further 2,500 vehicles plus vehicles travelling to the "employment premises” etc will be catastrophic. There will only be two route options for these vehicles to travel and these roads are already gridlocked at rush hour and weekends.
We appreciate that there are constraints on the highway network, but there are a number of aspects to the scheme that would make Canford Park a sustainable community within which to live, work and play. The mix of residential and employment land helps to balance traffic flows, improvements can be made to some of the key junctions, and the scale of the development means it will support high frequency bus services. Canford Park could, therefore, provide a unique opportunity to offer a range of travel choices and support changes in behaviour.
You are implying that this land has been released for housing and that the council has approved it. This is not true. It is still protected as greenbelt. There is land already vacant for employment but no one wants it. Withdraw your plans until land is available.
We did not intend to imply that the land had already been released for housing. We are simply bringing one of the options being considered by the Borough of Poole to life as, in our experience, red lines on a plan do little to convey the potential opportunity. As you rightly say, no decisions have been made by the Council and we remain committed to working through the Review of the Poole Core Strategy. Whilst we have taken great care to emphasise this in our communications, with hindsight I can see that it would be helpful to have a statement to this effect within the opening paragraphs of the website and will update this accordingly.
Part of this strategy review will assess the potential for outward expansion if it is found that Poole’s development needs cannot be met within the urban area. As a result, the council is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the Green Belt within the Borough in order to balance the need for housing and jobs in a sustainable and realistic manner.
Local commercial property agents are warning that there is only a limited supply of available land for industrial and warehouse development and have said this has become a major issue which could stifle economic growth in the region. For this reason, we have included a business park within our proposals which could generate around 2,800 new jobs.
The website was established as a means of engaging with the local community in an open and transparent manner. We recognise that no one knows an area better than the local community, so we want to share our initial ideas about the potential mix and form of any development, encouraging your questions and feedback.
Overall the development would be a fantastic step for Poole and would help stop the exodus of young people who cannot afford to live in the town they were born in, such as myself. I doubt that it will exacerbate existing traffic issues any more than the current situation. I expect the objections will come in thick and fast from the NIMBY brigades but I think the proposals are very well thought out and address a wide berth of issues. I'd really like to see this happen.
We are sure that there are many young people who share your view, albeit the debate can easily become dominated by a vocal minority, so I do hope that you will be able to attend one of forthcoming exhibitions or look at the display material on our website and complete the feedback from.