Sell off slammed (Paul Harrod)

Sell off slammed

November 16, 2007 12:00 AM

Lockleaze residents have condemned plans by Bristol's Labour Council to sell off the former Romney Avenue Junior School site before the Council's own Balanced & Sustainable Communities Team (B&SC) has had a chance to complete a Needs Survey into what facilities the area lacks and to draw up a Masterplan to address them.

The Masterplan would then influence the Planning Briefs for the disposal of the various Council-owned sites, which include the former Lockleaze and Romney Avenue Junior School sites and former Bonnington Walk Allotment site, and to shape the considerable private development planned for the area, including the massive Hewlett Packard/Redrow development.

Lockleaze Lib Dem Cllr Sean Emmett said, "The Council is under financial pressure to dispose of its surplus assets but it is missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the needs of Lockleaze. The B&SC Team has worked hard to get where we are and have started a series of public consultations on the future of Lockleaze with local residents and other stakeholders. They will be forced to put a brave spin on these events, but in reality they have had the rug pulled from under their feet".

Fellow Lib Dem Cllr Emma Bagley said "Local residents will now be concerned at further plans by the Labour Council to downgrade the B&SC initiative for Lockleaze,"

After fierce criticism from Cllrs Emmett and Bagley the decision to sell the site, which was taken behind closed doors, will now have to be made in public by the Labour Cabinet.

Cllr Emmett is urging local residents to sign a petition to oppose land sell-offs in Lockleaze until the B&SC Team has had a chance to complete its Needs Survey and Masterplan, so that the future disposal of these site will address the needs of Lockleaze. The petition is available on line here:

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/epetitionview.html?PetitionID=197