Success for Sea Mills residents (Paul Harrod)

Success for Sea Mills residents

February 23, 2010 7:35 PM

Over two years ago my Lib Dem colleagues and I started surveying local people in Sea Mills and Coombe Dingle to get their views on Labour's plans to knock down all the PRC houses and rebuild at a far higher density.

The Council told us these homes were falling down, were unsafe, and that local people who had lived in the area for decades may have to be moved elsewhere. We were put under huge pressure by the Labour administration at the time to fall in behind the "agreed position."

I am proud that the Liberal Democrats refused to accept this.

I am proud that we stood up for local people who wanted to stay in their homes, and who were worried about the great damage a large-scale rebuild would do to the unique character of the Sea Mills Garden Suburb.

Since then we have won a significant victory.

Thanks to the efforts of local people and local campaign groups, Cllr Simon Rayner and the Lib Dems have won agreement to repair the PRC homes in Sea Mills.

This will mean that local people can stay in their homes, the Garden Suburb will be protected, and local people will not have to suffer the huge disruption a demolition and rebuild would have caused.

But it also means that those people who have suffered for too long in inadequate, damp and drafty houses will get the decent home they deserve.

I would like to pay tribute to all the local people, campaign groups, (especially the Save Sea Mills Garden Suburb group) who have campaigned on this issue with great integrity, commitment and energy.

The greatest credit for this successful campaign lies with all of them.