Over 700 people have signed a petition in a bid to try and prevent Sedgemoor District Council from selling off one of Highbridge’s “last precious pockets of green land” – a piece of open public land that is earmarked for 110 new homes.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here that developer Coln Residential had won outline planning permission to develop the land between Lakeside and Isleport despite more than 140 objections from residents.
The field is currently owned by five parties, including Sedgemoor District Council. We reported here last week that the council has begun a consultation on plans to sell off the land for the development – and local people have until Friday (March 13th) to give their feedback.
Resident Joy Russell, pictured above, told Burnham-On-Sea this week: “I would like to thank everyone who has signed and shared my petition to object to Sedgemoor District Council disposing of open space land at Lakeside, Highbridge.”
“I have collected over 500 signatures from people who wholeheartedly agreed it would be a crime to sell it off for building. It was gratifying speaking to so many local residents who are thoroughly sick of the over development of our town.”
“Many people believe that I was wasting my time but the whole experience has been a real eye opener hearing their opinions. The main point of concern was losing an open space that has so much potential to be improved and shared by the community.”
“If only the council would use the S106 money for what it was originally intended, improving the access to the field, instead of handing it over to the developers to create a small open space in the middle of a housing estate of over 120 houses.”
She adds: “Many years ago, I was that child that was inspired to engage with nature and care about the planet with the added bonus spin-off, improving my health and well being.”
“Over 50 years ago I was taken to this very field by a local historian with a group of Brownies, all eager to earn a History badge to adorn our sleeves. He told us about the industry in Highbridge, the clay pits, brickyards, docks, cattle market and how important the railway was to the business in the town.”
“Over the railway line we walked and across a little footbridge over a rhyne into the corner of this field where we learned how much earlier on in time this was the very site of the old stocks where offending people were pelted with stones for their sins!”
“It was a beautiful early summer’s evening and the air was filled with birdsong and bats flying over our heads. It was a memorable moment which makes me realise how important it is to engage children at an early age to go out and explore and learn about their patch so they will care about it enough to cherish and maybe in the future, make it even better.”
“The developers repeatedly described this field as ‘wasteland’ which is so demeaning to the precious ecosystem that we have here. The council should know what a treasure they have in this unassuming field squeezed between Railway Line and Industrial Estate.”
“I have walked this field regularly for many years often photographing the nature and wildlife here and believe it wouldn’t take much to make it even better for the wildlife and the air that we breathe.”
“I want Sedgemoor District Council to step up to the mark and make the decision to save the field, improve the access and start planting trees and the seeds of hope. I wish they would consider the environmental advantages and the well-being of the local population rather than the economic gains.”
With a day left to object to SDC selling off the open space, you can email objections quoting Notice ID: MF0543355 as the reference to Tim.Mander@Sedgemoor.gov.uk
