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1) May 2009 Update:

HOUSE BUILDING REMAINS ON HOLD:

Question of viability hangs over development.

£12 million road infrastructure committment is stumbling block.

Government funding sought.

Special update added today Friday 15th May 2009:

Whether the development now goes ahead depends on the willingness of the Regional Development Agency to grant Govt money towards the £12 million link road.

Bovis has recently (April 2009) disclosed the results of a viability study and informed S Glos Council that the development is NOT viable under the terms of the original March 2008 planning permission, (106 agreement).

Bank lending facilities to Bovis are also much reduced compared to 2007 when the development was planned. Bovis is experiencing difficulty borrowing money

Talks are currently in progress. If central government funding is not forthcoming, then Bovis is unlikely to proceed with the development until the economic climate improves. It will be mothballed until the economy picks up sufficiently to make the whole scheme once again commercially viable.

Meanwhile, Developers Bovis continue to make preparations and has submitted a "reserved matters" application for the first 111 houses off Highwood Road. (reserved matters simply means fine detailed plan for approval by councillors).

The submission of the reserved matter aplication for 111 houses does not mean house building is imminent!

The development remains on hold.

Alternative funding sought:

Explorative talks are underway (mid May 2009) seeking alternative funding from the South West Regional Development Agency towards road building at a cost of £12 million and the Housing and Communities Agency towards affordable home building.

The first 111 houses would eventually be built in the area behind Callicroft Garage and a new road called "Sparrowbill Way", will emerge onto Highwod Road between Callicroft Traffic lights and the speed calming shikane

House building on the Northfield, (Charlton Hayes), should have commenced September 2008 and work on the major A38 road junction was to have started last Autumn 2008.

Patchway Councillors to discuss situation.

Patchway Parish and district councilors will be discussing the application for the first 111 houses at a meeting next week 19th May 2009.

If Govt money for the new link road is granted, the developer will seek to renegotiate some aspects of the planning agreement granted in March 2008.

Such renegotiation is permitted. Bovis and S Glos Council do have authority to vary terms of the agreement by negotiation.

Which terms may be varied?

Aspects open to renegotiation include the road building timetable, funding arrangements for community facilities, and delaying the "trigger points" for building these.

Which terms are not open to negotiation?

The outline plan will remain unaltered. Conditional aspects, such as the closure of Highwood Road to become a bus corridor, CANNOT be varied.

On a technical note, closure of Highwood Road originally set for 2011 requires a "Traffic Rgulation Order" which has not yet been granted.

What are the options - for the way forward? The developer could negotiate acceptable changes and commence work this year but to a new timetable.

Alternativley, Bovis may opt to sit on the development and do nothing (for a period of months or even years), until the housing market picks up. This "wait and see" approach is real possibility. Bovis has 12 years to complete the scheme from commencement of building. The clearance works do not count as building works, so the 12 year clock is not yet ticking!.

In any event, its seems likely Bovis will seek to change the timetable for the whole project. The road infrastructure at £12 million represents a huge cost committment to the developer. The current road completion deadline is August 2010.

This delay will have important knock on effects.

The new Community Centre, (if built "on site"by Bovis), and closure of Highwood Lane to become a bus Corridor, both originally scheduld for completion around 2011/2012, may now be delayed by years in the current housing market.

Next town Council Meeting Tues 9th June 2009. 1930hrs.

Residents are welcome to speak at Town Council meetings, please contact Town Clerk: email: clerk@patchwaytowncouncil.gov.uk Tel:01454 868 530

2) Patchway Post Office Remains open!

(Update March 2009) Patchway Post Office at Patchway roundabout will not now close - and is open to business as usual.

The Post Office has set up an interim company to enable the Patchway Roundabout PO branch to continue.

Plans for a new Post office are also being considered.

3) NEW service 625 timetable (see navigation bar)

From Feb 1st 2009 all 75 buses now operate via Coniston Rd only and no longer serve Rodway, Durban or Bradley roads.

To compensate loss of service, S Glos Council have re-routed service 625 via central Patchway and upgraded it to an hourly service. (625 = Severn Beach - Pilning - Patchway- Bristol parkway - UWE)

CLICK HERE: for details, 75 route revision + NEW service 625 Timetable

4) New Community Centre.

see navigation bar "New Community Centre"

5) Bus service 75 - now all via Coniston Rd

From Feb 1st 2009 all 75 buses now operate via Coniston Rd only and no longer serve Rodway, Durban or Bradley roads.

CLICK HERE: for details, 75 route revision + NEW service 625 Timetable

Photo: Firstbus 75 encounters cars at Junction Durban/Rodway Road

6) House building is delayed.

Feb 11th 2009 update.

Significantly, no "detailed design briefs" for housing components have yet been submitted by Bovis - a clear indication that house building, originally scheduled to start Sept 2008, is being delayed.

Only one "detailed design brief" has so far been submitted by Bovis - for a small section of road called the "Boulevard", which will emerge onto Highwood Lane Nr Callicroft garage.

Despite this delay in housebulding, the timetable for completion of the road infrastructure remains in force. This could alter if outline planning terms are renegotiated.

The A38 roundabout is due to be completed by Oct 2009 and the new Link Road by Sept 2010.

Highwood Lane Bus Corridor

The outline planning permission approved in Spring 2008 was granted on condition that a Bus corridor is built along a section of Highwood Lane.

Building a bus corridor is a condition of the outline planning permission.

Although the Bus Corridor will be subject to further public consultation, this consultation will only determine the manner of implementation. It will not determine whether or not to go ahead; it is already approved. This so-called "design brief" consultation will help determine how many trees to plant, the contour of junctions and the location of pedestrian safetly features etc.

Third parties have NO automatic right of appeal against a planning permission, (or against a refused planning permission), and must place any appeal before the High Court for judicial revue. In the event that the appeal fails, all costs must be bourne by the applellants, a ball park figure may be in excess of £10,000

The outline planning permission is valid for five years.

To view approved plans (at the Bovis website) click the link below!

Welcome to the new charltonhayes.info informing Patchway residents on the Northfield housing development and general parish matters.

Northfield News - latest: "The Shape of things to Come" photos above are houses in Kingsdown(to right of Arley Hill, Cotham; The architechture of the new development will draw upon these regency/edwardian period examples.Click the link below to view the plans online!

You may submit comments directly online to Bovis

CLICK HERE for Northfield development approved plans.

You may speak at Town Council Meetings meetings by prior arangement with the Town Clerk, Lucy Hamid - contact details on "contact page" of this website.

Parish councillor Martin Richardson has set up this web site to provide Patchway Callicroft Ward residents with up to date information on the proposed 2,200 dwelling Northfield housing development now named Charlton Hayes.

The web site will cover planning and related topics such as transport, traffic, the new Town Centre and all issues of local concern.

The site aims to inform, reflect local views and promote participation. (navigation bar on right to access other pages).