Totterdown, Bristol - Network Rail sell derelict land for development

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

People living in Totterdown are angry after Network Rail decided to clear a piece of ground they claim is home to rare wildlife. Suzanne Ferris said she was shocked when she saw the clearance of the nature spot off Bellevue Terrace begin. The 43-year-old writer immediately contacted the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to tell them rare bull finches nest on the site, something Network Rail denies.

The RSPB said if this was the case anyone who intentionally cleared the site could be subject to a fine or prosecution.

Mrs Ferris, who lives in Bellevue Terrace, said there was also a badger sett on the site, which appeared to have been disturbed. She has contacted the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about this, as badgers are also a protected species.

Mrs Ferris has been told the transport police are looking into the matter.

She has also contacted Bristol City Council to suggest it buys the land for allotment use or to preserve as green space.

Lee Hollingsworth, RSPB wildlife adviser, said: "Anyone intentionally clearing nests of bull finches would be committing an offence under the Countryside and Wildlife Act. Bull finches are on our red list, which means there has been a 50 per cent deterioration in population during the last 25 years. If anyone was prosecuted they could receive a fine and, in theory, they could go to prison. We would suggest people contact the police, who have the power to stop the work."

Network Rail claims it has carried out an environmental assessment of the site and found no rare species.

A spokesman said: "We've done some surveys around the area before clearance. It is notorious for fly tipping and is exposed to a lot of contaminants. We carried out an environmental and ecological assessment and didn't find anything. We use the land frequently for safety operations so we have begun clearance for safety reasons, as part of regular maintenance. Before we move forward to a full clearance of the site we will do another environmental assessment."

The spokesman said it was "early stages" in terms of what Network Rail planned to do with the site, and could not confirm whether or not it planned to sell it off.

See http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20979850&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[Btline]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/story-14370204-detail/story.html?

TOTTERDOWN residents are fuming about plans to build new homes right on their doorstep.

More than 20 gathered into The Oxford pub in Oxford Street to raise concerns about an application by Network Rail.
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Residents meet at The Oxford pub in Totterdown, Bristol, to discuss the plans for a housing development on wasteland opposite Bellevue Terrace which will block views over Bristol.
The company, which owns the land in Bellevue Terrace, has submitted plans to build nine three-storey homes.

But people living in and around the road say it^s an over development that will destroy their views, invade their privacy, block light and make traffic problems in the area much worse.

They have also accused the company of being underhanded, as they were only informed about the proposal on Christmas Eve.

Initially they only had until Wednesday to submit any objections but after intervention by their local councillors that has now been extended until next Wednesday, January 18.

Suzanne Ferris has lived in Bellevue Terrace for 18 years and organised last night^s meeting to make sure her neighbours were informed.

She said: ^This is going to be massive for us. At the moment we have fabulous views all across the city and we will lose those.

^These are four-bed, three-storey houses. We found an artist^s impression of the side view which shows existing houses will be blocked out.

^It will devalue our properties. A local builder told us by between ^20,000 and ^30,000 per property, that^s the price of a view.^

Miss Ferris added there were a number of physical constraints on the site that made it unsuitable for development.

The land was used for allotments until 1996 but there were a number of mine shafts underneath that fell in and had to be filled by Network Rail.

She said: ^The original properties on that site were pulled down because of subsidence problems. It^s been full of wildlife for years. We^re trying to protect the wildlife corridor and this would make it easier for them to encroach on Higham Street green.^

Residents were also concerned about the knock-on effect of having more cars in an area with tight access.

Fiona Esmarch lives just round the corner from Bellevue Terrace, and has already had her car hit by a passing van.

She said: ^We literally wouldn^t have anywhere to park.

^You can^t get furniture removal vans up here and it^s an incredibly dangerous street in snow and ice.

^On a good day I can see the suspension bridge from my bedroom. I moved here three years ago and the reason I chose it was because it was open and there was parking. It feels like an oasis. That would be lost.^

And Charles Burgoyne has only just moved to Bellevue Terrace. He said: ^To put it politely, I^m quite bewildered by the sheer scale of it.^

Ward councillors, Lib Dems Alf Havvock and Mark Bailey, attended the meeting and share their constituents^ concerns.

Mr Bailey said: ^Access to the area is a worry as there^s one road in and one road out.

^Ideally I^d like to see the site kept as it was. I don^t know how much it^s worth but who^s going to come up with ^1 million to buy the land?

^Allotments are desirable but probably not realistic.

^The preference is no development but if we can^t prevent it then smaller would be our aim.^

The councillors are planning on ^calling in^ the application, which means it won^t be dealt with by officers but by planning committee.

A date has yet to be set by they are hoping for it to be heard at a meeting in March.

To submit objections go to the planning section of the Bristol City Council website www.bristol.gov.uk. The application reference is 11/04970/F.

Network Rail was unavailable for comment last night.

I hope there is no rail use for this land. Looking on Google Maps indicates that there isn't. Not sure what the "views" are though...

[Chris from Nailsea]

"Calm down, dear!" 

For the benefit of those familiar with Bristol Temple Meads station, the fairly small piece of land being discussed here is right at the top of that huge cliff of concrete you can see, beyond what used to be the Bath Bridge depot to the west of the station!

As I happened to find myself in the area this afternoon, I had a look around.

The land is to the right of Bellevue Terrace, in this picture:



At the moment, it seems to be something of an eyesore:



The views are of rooftops across Bristol below, including Bristol Temple Meads:



So, to answer your question: there is absolutely no possible rail use for this land, high on a hillside above Bristol Temple Meads station.  In fact, as it was used for allotments until old mineshafts under it opened up and had to be plugged by Network Rail, and old buildings there had to be demolished due to subsidence problems, I'd suggest Network Rail would be rather glad to see the back of it! 

[eightf48544]

Interesting you mention subsidence problems and the application is for 3 story houses! Doesn't seem quite right. I know the Bristol area is notorious for unmapped mineshafts, are they sure they plugged all the ones on this site?

[Btline]

The new homes will have stunning views. And when the electrification comes in, won't have noisy HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) thundering past.

Apart from sone trees that will no doubt get axed, I don't see any problems with houses here. Of course, if the land is unstable...

[paul7575]

Interesting you mention subsidence problems and the application is for 3 story houses! Doesn't seem quite right. I know the Bristol area is notorious for unmapped mineshafts, are they sure they plugged all the ones on this site?

They wouldn't do it before planning permission was granted. But it is a known issue, so the planning process will just require the developer to come up with an adequate method to sort it out, hence the remediation strategy document, and provision of geotechnical survey reports.   11/04970/F is the application, (as shown above).

Most of the objections already shown on the planning website boil down to the traditional concept of 'I was here first - and no one else can spoil my view'.  Which anyone who has ever owned a property overlooking 'open space' knows is not usually a valid reason against development.

Paul

[JayMac]

The new homes will have stunning views. And when the electrification comes in, won't have noisy HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) thundering past.

Very few HSTs pass by that part of Bristol as it is. Just the odd CrossCountry service and the handful of 'via Bristol' services to/from Weston-super-Mare and points west. As for thundering, hardly. The speed limit on that section of line is 25mph. Oh, and those MTU^▸ (Motor Traction Unit) engines are relatively quiet...

Aerial view of the area:

[pbc2520]

Well I had trouble finding Bellvue Terrace on Google maps because it doesn't seem to exist.. it thinks that the street is still Higham St.  See attached image.

I must say that I am finding a lot of anomalies with Google map data.  For anything important, I check with the OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) data on streetmap.co.uk.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Try 'Bellevue Terrace' - or see bignosemac's post, just above yours?

[pbc2520]

Try 'Bellevue Terrace' - or see bignosemac's post, just above yours?

Oops, that was just a typo.  I actually spelt it correctly when I searched.  Google just thinks that road is called Higham St. as shown on the attachment.  Weird.

[JayMac]

Depends on the version of Google Earth you have. I have an older version as I hate the newer Streetview.

[ellendune]

If you go onto Googlemap and search you find it, but there is no label on the street to say where it is. It still finds it though.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

New Totterdown terraces... a snip at ^415,000


Artists' impressions of the new Bellevue Terrace development

Forget about the Clifton Suspension Bridge or Cabot Tower, they are among the most familiar and loved buildings on the Bristol skyline. The Victorian terraced houses that line the hillside overlooking south Bristol stand out because of their distinctive pastel shades.

The Totterdown terraces are as much a part of Bristol's unique character and heritage as the Wills Building and Clifton's grand Georgian villas. And now a construction firm is in the process of building nine new houses in the heart of Totterdown that are a replica of those famous homes, which were originally built for Bristol's railway workers.

Ellson Homes is behind the plans to build two terraces of family homes on a parcel of unused open space in Bellevue Terrace. And even though the scheme has still not been completed, seven of the properties have already been sold.

The new houses, which have either four or five bedrooms, cost between ^350,000 and ^415,000, but the price tag has not put off potential buyers. The homes come with all the mod cons and spectacular views across the city and beyond.

They are being marketed by Ocean estate agents in Knowle, who say they have received dozens of inquiries. A spokesman said: "The houses come with far-reaching views. This is a brand new development of just nine period-style homes with private parking and gardens."

Each house has three floors, with accommodation from 1,449 sq ft to 1,923 sq ft. They also come with balconies and back gardens.

Any truth in the rumour that member Btline has put in a bid for one? 

[JayMac]

Nice to see that the pastel shades are to be incorporated in the new build.

Sadly, out of my price range. By about ^414,990. 

[Phil]

I like the way they've incorporated a paddling pool into the roof of each one