Tories call for sell-off of Bristol's green spaces to be scrapped
THE Conservatives have tabled a motion calling for the £87 million plan to sell off up to 62 green spaces across Bristol to be scrapped.
Bristol City Council has attracted a significant amount of opposition to the area green space plan since consultation began in June.
Residents have opposed at least one in four of the sites put forward for disposal, and many are against the general principle of selling off green space at all.
Thousands of signatures have been added to a variety of petitions opposing the sell-off of individual sites, including Wellington Field in Horfield, St Anne's Park and Lodge Hill, near Fishponds.
Campaigners are due to present a number of them to the cabinet meeting at Council House tonight.
The council argues that selling off some green space will allow it to improve up to 200 parks in other parts of the city.
Consultation on the scheme ends tomorrow and, after all of the responses have been considered, officers will draw up a list of sites that will be put up for sale.
This won't be until December, and in the mean time the Tories have put a motion to the full council meeting on November 16.
It calls for the proposals to be abandoned, despite the fact the three main parties signed up the green space strategy it is part of two years ago.
The Conservatives have argued the plans have changed enough to justify the U-turn.
Motions are limited to around 45 minutes, so whether this one will even be discussed will depend on what other motions are on the agenda.
A vote could take place, but only if the chairman is satisfied enough debate has taken place.
A Tory motion to prevent any further traveller sites opening in Bristol had to be abandoned during the September full council meeting after councillors left themselves just 10 minutes for debate.
The group has also launched an online petition for people to support the motion.
Councillor Mark Weston (Henbury, Conservative) said: "Public consultation has clearly shown that Bristolians simply do not want to lose any more of their recreational space.
"The area green space plans are fundamentally dishonest, in that many potential plots of land suggested for sale are not, as previously promised, of low value or quality.
"This version of the strategy has also proved itself to be extremely divisive, in that it requires some wards in the city to make land sacrifices not shared by others."
Labour group leader Helen Holland told the Evening Post she didn't want to pre-empt her group's response to the Tory motion, but she criticised the consultation process.
She said: "The consultation has been flawed, with a lack of information.
"The one thing you need to do if you want major change is have absolute transparency."
Councillor Tess Green (Southville, Green) said: "The Green Party has always opposed selling any green space which is valued by local people, although we could see the logic of selling off space that is not valued in order to improve green space more generally.
"The voice of local people has been very strong on this issue and needs to be taken seriously."
Executive member for targeted improvements Councillor Gary Hopkins said: "Quite frankly the Tories are making fools of themselves. They've lost the trust of the parks movement, this is all about improving our parks.
"You can adjust individual schemes and that will happen.
"You don't rip up a strategy that has been worked on for five years on a political whim."
To see the petition go to epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/activepetitions.
7 Comments
by Giovanni, The Wood
Monday, November 01 2010, 9:19AM
“All property is theft. Sell. Sell. Sell!”
by dot, Knowle
Sunday, October 31 2010, 11:47PM
“I cant see a problem with scrapping the strategy is only robbing peter to pay paul anyway and thats not a good strategy. Start with the fundamental parks allotments and open spaces, the idea of keeping sites as parks allotments and open spaces instead of selling them off- so we actually HAVE loads of parks and open spaces to improve - would be a good way to move forward.”
by jim penny, Shirehampton
Sunday, October 31 2010, 11:27PM
“some councillors have lost the trust of the general public - The 'area greenspace plan' which runs in conjunction to this strategy states wildlife network sites and ssi's are to be' enhanced 'and left to be what they are not destroyed by a ton of concrete. The ideals expressed in these original plans is very different to what the public have been asked to face at this badly set out consultation. The allotment strategy for example sets out ideals of vacant land to be held in a landbank or used for openspace purposes, ranging from forests, to graveyards,why then are we as residents then asked to chose from 3 options which are housing, campsite or green? The ideals set out in the complimentary strategies have not been truly followed through to the public consultations which I feel as a jewish resident involved a degree of classification bordering on racial discrimination in their presentation regarding the travellers sites; as to hold up travellers on a public noticeboard and the contents of their lifestyle as if they are that different could be construed as classification and that with the discrimination between areas and unnecessarily complex forms seemed to make it an unpleasant place to be. if I wish to vote someone in -I will only vote for councillors who show empathy, concern for what the community values, greenspaces being one of them, so fair play to the conservatives for bringing the matter forward. - scrap a plan if the plan is flawed or has become backdated,changed, not followed correctly, and if it is as unpopular as this one to carry on would spell disaster for the people of Bristol.”
by caroline penny, Shirehampton
Sunday, October 31 2010, 10:49PM
“The citizens of Bristol voted these people in to protect our parks and open spaces not sell them off on a political whim.”
by diane jones, bedminster
Friday, October 29 2010, 12:59PM
“This shows how much the people of Bristol value their green spaces. The areas provide recreation, improve the look of the cityscape, give conservation habitats for wildlife, are the "green lungs" that act as carbon sinks, and simply make us feel better about our eveyday local environment.
However, councillors seem only able to give support when it is an obvious popularity score. More difficult, but just as important, is the help needed when the spaces are in direct competition with the ambitions of developers. A case in point is the Town Green at Ashton Vale, also the site for the proposed football stadium. Despite Steve Lansdown's accusations of "theft" by the recommendation for Town Green status, the original theft was the grasping of green belt land for a corporate business park which was waived through on the basis of a new stadium. The justifications for this are now beginning to unravel, and what is clear from looking beyond football club rhetoric and aggressive posturing is that this 42 acre site should never have been removed from the green landbank for the people of Bristol. Three quarters of the land is agricultural, a very valuable resource near to a city in the future-proofing need for local food. The rest is an increasingly rare wildlife habitat. All of it has been appreciated for recreation by local people. Councillors have done nothing to counter the malicious propaganda describing the site as a "tip", when only about 6 acres were used as landfill for 3 years, and then restored.
Perhaps the protests all over Bristol to protect green spaces will make councillors think again about what most people really find important to them. Given that 60% of men, and 80% of women either don't care about, or are against, football, the stadium bid could never really be about "bristolunited". What it is about is the financial ambitions of a very rich tax exile, who should be seen as anti-social and exploitative rather than Bristol's hero.
What we really need for the future of Bristol is a shift in priorities to protect, enhance and make more use of our green spaces. Ordinary people are leading the way, and hopefully the councillors are at last starting to respond more intelligently.”
by Glenn Vowles, Knowle
Thursday, October 28 2010, 7:37PM
“Its not often that I have cause to praise the Conservative Party in Bristol but on this occasion I have to say well done to them for changing their minds and calling for the councils plans to sell green spaces to be abandoned, especially given the strength of the widespread public opposition. I hope that Labour and maybe even some Lib Dems will support the Tories on this - and respect local people's wishes.”
by Ricardo, Bristol
Thursday, October 28 2010, 1:29PM
“The Evening Post and all of their local groups have been serving Bristol for decades and they still don't understand the city. It makes my blood boil! Lodge Hill is in Fishponds and Kingswood shares some of the Hospital boundary. Either sort out your facts or stop printing stories, you make yourselves look stupid more and more every day!”