The Council will be scrutinising proposals for new controls on HMOs throughout the City at a public meeting on Tuesday 4th July. The proposals are to change the Council’s HMO Supplementary Planning Document to reduce the percentage of HMOs permitted in communities.
The committee reports can be found here (Item 9):
https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=553&MId=4597&Ver=4
Flats in the Moorlfields Estate are to keep their weekly waste collections following an intervention from Cllr Will Sandry.
The Council is proposing to develop land the behind 89-125 Englishcombe Lane. Will and Shaun have met with Council officers have requested a public meeting be held in advance of any formal planning application coming forward.
We know that a development at this location will be of concern to some neighbouring residents and want to make sure these concerns are properly addressed by the Council before any formal planning application is made.
The open meeting is on Wednesday 12th July 2017 between 3pm and 8pm at Sladebrook Evangelical Church Hall. It will be possible to attend at anytime during those times.
The Council is reviewing the existing Additional HMO licensing scheme that is in place in Oldfield, Westmoreland and Widcombe wards.
The scheme was introduced in January 2014 and lasts until December 2018. It requires all multiple occupancy shared houses to be licensed by the Council in the designated area and meet minimum standards of safety, welfare and management. As the scheme only lasts for a maximum of 5 years, the Council are seeking views to influence whether the scheme is stopped, renewed or extended elsewhere in the City.
Both Will and Shaun campaigned for and continue to support the additional licensing scheme. It has improved the standards of homes for tenants and meant that there have been better management arrangements in place.
Please complete the Council’s survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/sharedhouses
All completed questionnaires will go into a draw to win one of five prizes. Each prize will be £30 worth of High Street Gift Vouchers (redeemable at top High Street retailers).
The Bath Area Play project will be holding two play days at the Sandpits over the summer. The dates will be Thursday 27th July and Wednesday 16th August and between 1pm and 4pm. Will and Shaun have used Ward Councillor Initiative funding available to them to sponsor these two events.
BAPP are also holding play days throughout the summer across Bath and North East Somerset. Please follow this link for details.
BAPP are a great local charity, and if you are able to support them to put on events in the future, please consider making a donation:http://www.bapp.org.uk/support-us/
The planning application for luxury student flats at the Wansdyke Business Centre has been refused by the Council’s planning committee today.
Will commented: “People in Bath want, affordable housing and a range of jobs to be available for their young people. They have had enough of luxury studios being built for wealthy international students to fuel the growth agenda of Bath University.
I am pleased that the committee felt compelled to refuse the application albeit for the clear planning reasons of design and conservation of local heritage assets.
I would like to publicly challenge the site owners not to appeal the decision but to meet with the local community. A redevelopment of the site which better meets the needs of local people and conserves and enhances our heritage is possible at the site.
Shaun added: “Both Will and I salute the local community for the passion and determination they have shown in uniting to oppose this application. I would also like to thank Bath Spa University for acknowledging there is already an over concentration of HMO’s in Oldfield Park, and that the application was not appropriate for the area.
It is time to be radical about our planning policies. The universities, and their students are welcome, but not at the expense of sustainable local communities.”
This year’s campaign to help students in the community manage their waste when they move out gets underway this month.
The Student Community Partnership have identified seven locations in the area where British Heart Foundation (BHF) collection banks will be placed between April and July. Last year donations through the banks and on campus collected just over £86,000 for the BHF.
Residents in roads near the banks will receive a letter prior to the collection banks being installed. Student homes will be called on to ensure students know the waste management options available to them in the run up to them to moving out in the summer.
Developers have made a new application for Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) at the Wansdyke Business Centre.
You can view and comment on the application on the Council’s Planning Portal by following this link.
In a joint statement Will and Shaun said:
“This application does not meet the needs of the community. The Universities are important to the economic success of the City, but we need to see applications come forward that address the housing needs of young people from Bath and their families.
We are disappointed that the developers have decided to persist with a new application for PBSA on the site and have spurned any discussions with the local community.”
Members of the public may like to join the resident led Facebook group Proposals to Develop Wansdyke Business Centre
The situation is complicated by the fact Bath Bakery went into bankruptcy. The site was locked down by the Government’s Insolvency Service. Only people authorised by the Official Receiver can enter the site, and only for the purpose of recovering assets. A further complication is the shop’s owner lives abroad (Bath Bakery were tenants), so communications have been difficult.
Council Officers have been working with the Official Receiver to try and get the mouldy food removed. Progress has been made, and they are hopeful food will be removed and the site tidied before much more time passes.
Plots are currently available on the Monksdale Road Allotments. Please visit the Allotments Page of the Council’s Website for details of how to apply.