Toby OCM's Page

Hi Toby,

You have probably seen this letter I sent (below) to the Bristol planning dept, but in case you haven't....

Dear Ben Burke,

As a resident of St Andrews (Burghley Road) I have been shocked to learn of the details of the planning application (09/03891/P) being proposed by the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. This is a massively conceived expansion of the existing facilities. If passed the Development will certainly have serious deleterious effects on the area around the Ground, particularly the increase in traffic and attendant problems of parking in the surrounding streets whenever the Club hosts any event that makes use of its facilities, not just major sporting occasions. I understand that there will be no restrictions on the use to which the stadium can be put .

This planned huge expansion is totally insensitive to and out of all proportion to its environmental context of a tightly developed late Victorian and early Edwardian urban residential area. I assume that double yellow lines are envisaged as needed on many of the surrounding streets in an attempt to ease parking immediately round the Ground. However, this will only push the parking problem further out into the more peripheral areas such as that around St Andrews Park. Local through-traffic movements in the area on event days would undoubtedly become a nightmare (it can be extremely difficult even at present) with the certain creation of major traffic snarl ups and jams).

Linked to this potential turmoil is the added complication of plans for new student accommodation blocks for 350 students, the majority of whom will undoubtedly have their own cars. The plan that they would have to sign an agreement not to park within 1.5 km of the blocks is completely unenforceable and laughable. But if this could somehow be enforced, it would again simply relocate the problem of parking in streets further afield, with the area around St Andrews Park undoubtedly getting its share of these student cars.

Finally, the combined impact of a permanent increase in student numbers plus a regular influx of huge spectator numbers into the area will almost certainly have a detrimental effect on St Andrews Park. Already, on warm spring and summer days, the Park becomes a very popular venue for students and others to meet up and socialise. In itself, this increasing popularity is a welcome development. However this heavy use of the Park in good weather has recently lead to many burnt scars in the grass from disposable barbecues and not infrequently to appalling quantities of scattered litter, while, despite the provision of a public toilet, hedges and flower borders have become impromtu urinals with the associated redolence of this unlicensed excretory practice!

In other words, the Park at such times of near maximum capacity, is being abused by some and this situation can only get worse if the full GCCC scheme is allowed to go ahead.

I urge you to take into account the objections I have raised when considering the implications of this extraordinarily insensitive planning application.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Randolph