MEETING in TOWN HALL
17th January 2014 -7PM
Present: Jean Stanton, John Stanton, Barbara Gibbons, Joan Hosier, Charles Berkeley
Front of room:
Debbie Spiers, Keith Palmer, John Stanton, Mark Crosby (Consensus), Peter Stockwell (GVA), Richard
Morton (Cotswold Archaeology), ?? (Ecologist), Emma Geater (?) Charles Church
Also, Town Councillors Ralph Pinnell, Fraser Brown, Tony Tucker, Julian Dobson,??
Mark Crosby spoke first. He said they had not submitted the application and don’t see it happening before
March due to technical detail yet to be resolved. Consensus will be sending out another sheet of info for
the community with a more detailed layout of the houses.
Debbie Spiers read out a statement from the Doctors’ surgery submitted by Lorraine Hollingsworth. She
said there were 4920 registered at the surgery compared to 4815 a year ago the increase mostly due to the
new houses in Sharpness. The contract with the Vale Hospital “was lost” so the GP’s will be more
available in future. BUT finances are now tight with fewer than 6500 patients the surgery is in danger of
closing. The influx of new patients from a new development will be able to be accommodated without hiring
new staff
Peter Stockwell from GVA spoke about what they have done and what they have left to do (Archaeology
and Ecology). They and Persimmon Homes have been on this for a few years. The old application for 300
houses has had a level of support in the past. But the site can’t support that many houses. [This implies
they will use the old Inspectors’ decision in their argument] They will retain the hedgerows…. Residents
will be able to access the Town centre and there will be 5 acres of buffer with existing housing. Because of
archaeological and ecological issues the first field has left a bigger area which will also impinge less on the
setting of the castle….For newts a grass walkway has been incorporated with a hard link at the top only.
The pond at the top may not work because of archaeology….Tip will not be removed as it was found not to
be a problem. But ground contamination will be looked at and mitigation measures will be put in place if
required….Up to 200 houses with house types to be decided by March….It will integrate with the
landscape….Bats have been found but not especially rare and the roosts have not been found [Bats come
from house of Keith Driver in Canon Park next to Jean Strickland.] They are also working with technical
bodies to sign off/ approve the CC plans.
John Stanton gave a 5 minute talk about ABRAID’s opinion on the development. Copy attached.
Courtney Humphries spoke. He used to be a policeman in Berkeley and lived in a Police house here. He
said Berkeley used to have 5 officers station locally now there are none. Times change and more houses
will not solve that. What are the benefits to anyone apart from the developers and the landowner?
Someone asked who the landowner was and when Mr Aldridge’s name was mentioned there were the
numbers of sounds of real surprise.
The order of the rest is not necessarily chronological.
Phillip Boobyer (who lives in Pitbrook) said Berkeley needed development. “It can’t stay the same.”
Question: Who will maintain the ponds? Reply: In conjunction with the Environment Agency this will be
dealt with. The ponds will be designed to take an overcapacity and the building will be on the “only large
site in Berkeley without a flood plain designation.” Dave Bainbridge pointed out that Berkeley was an island
on the DEFRA flood map
Question: Will we be able to make our views known at a later stage. Answer: Yes, “you can talk with the
council officers up until it goes to committee” [SDC Planning committee?]
Q: What kind of houses? A: Houses will be 30% two bedroom for first time buyers. 3 BR will cost about
£200k, 2BR about £160k or £80k with half share purchase.
Ecology: No GCNs in rhyne. Bats found include Common pipistrelle, Soprano pipistrelle, lesser
horseshoe. (Someone said he lived in the new bungalows and he had seen 6-10 squashed newts in the
road near him. Car movements on new estate will kill more newts.)
Tanya (?) said the A38 will need improving esp with the 300 houses due in Sharpness as well. Eleanor
Taylor asked for pavements on the Berkeley Heath Road.
Debbie Marklove spoke about the fact that the school could accommodate more children and more children
would mean more money for the school. The Head of the Governors was there Nathan Wolstenholme.
Someone questioned about children having to be turned away and she said that was controlled by the
Local Authority. They would sort it out [Meaning allow extra children per class?]. Jean S talked of the
school in the 1990’s which had fewer children and was still an excellent school.
Kevin Palmer: There was some worry about the fact that the estate had a footpath going on to the sports
field. Would there be a footpath across the sports field? No, but their path would go only to the edge.
Brian Kirk from Canon Park spoke. He is worried about people walking past the bungalow One nearest the
fields and looking straight into his windows. How close to the footpath will the houses be (20 metres
between houses) Bob Hunt from Lower Berrycroft spoke.
Aly Phillips told the developers to go away as we are perfectly happy the way we are.
Archaeology: What was found? Richard Morton said they had been working for well over a year.
Consulting with English Heritage, Stroud DC conservation people, Glos CC people. They did desk based
research, flint scatters, Roman finds in the Chantry garden. Then did a geophysical: Most of site nothing
much, but at top of the second field some iron slag in a ditch – Roman probably. 17 trical trenches, two of
them had stone foundations with a robber trench (stones stolen but infill different soil type). Mediocre stuff,
12-13th century. Old monastic hospital everyone says existed was probably by the gatehouse to the castle
and it would have been very small (13 people of so) with a small chapel and would have taken in poor and
ill, located near a bridge so they could beg.
Mr John Berkeley got up to say he was going to read out a statement, but most of it had been covered. He
said after all the centuries of history Berkeley might be changed forever for the worse. He read out the
letter from Simon Jenkins (qualifying the fact that it was not in Mr Jenkins capacity as Chairman of the
National Trust that he was writing) in which he deplored the plans to build next to the castle. Mr Berkeley
said he was sad to see how the town was being unsettled by the controversy. Fraser Brown then took Mr
Berkeley to task along with other anti-development people for being selfish and not having sympathy for
those who want houses to live in.
Joan Hosier spoke of worries about flooding and the safety aspect. Head mistress said the children at the
primary school knew full well not to play in the water of the ponds and besides they could swim. D
Bainbridge asked who she was. She said if you have children or grandchildren at the primary school you
would know who she was. DB said she was being patronising when she spoke.
Barbara Gibbons wasn’t against affordable housing as we have all struggled. She made sacrifices to buy
her house and furnished it with everything second hand apart from the kids. Do we need 200 to get
affordable housing? Town Council consulted on what was needed? Questioned their statistics. Left out
18-25 year olds. She also stood up for us oldies and the contributions we made to the Town by
volunteering our time. Afterwards she asked for guarantee they won’t build more than 180. Emma said she
would be surprised even if it reached 180.
Jean Strickland commented on the devaluing of existing houses in Berkeley. The chap from GVA laughed
and said value needs to come down.
June Stump said she could not see any real benefit for Berkeley [she signed the petition so I don’t think she
was asking for bribes from CC]
NB Debbie was supposed to read out Gordon’s speech and said she forgot.