What is happening now - July 2013

The decision on whether to allow building on the South Stoke Plateau lies with a government inspector. This decision will be made after a public enquiry, held in public this is called the EIP (Examination In Public)

The current situation is the inspector thinks the council should have taken into account a lack of housing in Bristol. The council and Bristol City Council think this wrong.

A workshop is be held with interested parties, mostly house builder, that want to build more houses. Once that is settled the EIP could continue.

This workshop will only have invited people attending. It seems wrong that one person can make this sort of decision regardless of two democratically elected bodies, Bath and North East and Somerset Council and Bristol City Council.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we oppose the building of houses at South Stoke, and have we got alternatives.

http://odddown.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/frequently-asked-questions-about-300.html

The great consultation mystery

Bath and North East Somerset Council has just sent out 20mph zone consultation leaflets to Odd Down and Combe Down residents.

The leaflets explain where the limit will apply, why it's proposed, how we can find out more - and it gives us an opportunity to give our views about the plan.

If such clear leaflets had been sent out in early spring 2013 to residents surrounding the South Stoke plateau - telling us about the plan to build 300 homes on the Green Belt/Area of Outstanding Beauty - we suspect the response to the consultation would have been even bigger than the 1,000+ responses the B&NES received.

South Stoke plateau petition landmark

This week our campaign to save the South Stoke plateau reach an important milestone - our petition received its 500th signature. Next stop 1,000.

If you’ve signed, on behalf of the South of Bath Alliance (SOBA) - an action group set up by communities surrounding the plateau - we'd like to thank you, but also to urge you to do two things:

1) If you haven't already, please share the link to our petition with your friends and family (we have supporters all over the world) - and your neighbours. http://chn.ge/11Rn871

If you're on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or any other social network, or blog, please mention the petition and post a link. http://chn.ge/11Rn871 Every time someone signs, Eric Pickles, Don Foster and Jacob Rees-Mogg all receive an email notification!

We also plan to deliver a hard copy of the petition later this year, so every signature counts.

2) Finally, take a look at the bottom left hand side of the petition where you can read the comments you and your fellow signatories have been leaving. They demonstrate how strongly we all feel about this lush landscape on the southern edge of Bath.

Thanks again for your support, and here's to our next landmark.

Sign our petition to save South Stoke Plateau

The South of Bath Alliance has been formed by communities in the south of Bath campaigning to save stunning landscape, known locally as the "South Stoke plateau", from a proposed housing development.

The land should enjoy the highest form of protection as it is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is designated Green Belt.

Also, the Wansdyke Scheduled Ancient Monument runs along the plateau’s northern edge and it is a known foraging area for the Greater Horseshoe Bat, one of the UK’s most rare species, plus a habitat for endangered skylarks.

Please sign and share our petition with your friends, family and neighbours - http://chn.ge/11Rn871

Our petition is your chance to make Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) and our MPs Don Foster and Jacob Rees-Mogg aware of our opposition to the plan.