Thornbury's Future

Many people will be aware of the long running saga concerning prospective housing development at Park Farm Thornbury. Concerns had been raised about poor consultation, whether such a sizeable development was needed and if Park Farm was the best location.

It has now been announced that the National Planning Inspector has taken the view that South Gloucestershire's Core Strategy is not sound and he has offered SGC 2 options:
1. He will suspend his examination for 6 months, but the Core Strategy will have to be re-published and consulted upon.
2. South Glos start again from scratch

SGC have opted for option one and have suggested a timeframe for re-publishing the Core Strategy in December for 6 weeks consultation.

It is a shame that it couldn't have been done properly and well in the first place, but this decision shows that the voices of Thornbury people, and others, have finally been heard. It shows it really is worth challenging the councils when they attempt to push through their plans whilst ignoring the concerns of local people.

So now there is a real chance for residents to have a real say in how the future of Thornbury is planned and we shouldn't let that chance go. All towns need to grow, and if 500 plus homes at Park Farm turns out to be the best choice after proper research and consultation, then so be it. In the meantime, let's all be part of a properly run process that includes us and comes to the best decisions.

The Thornbury Town Council Lib Dems have always supported what has now been proven to have been a flawed process up til now. They should now accept they got it wrong and be much more representative of their electorate. They must listen to you or be seen to be entrenched in party political loyalty to the detriment of the town.

If you would like to know how to have your say, or just keep track of how things progress then keep on eye on http://tinyurl.com/3gguoz8