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You will have recently been invited to attend a meeting to hear from Salmon Harvester who own Cathedral Square (formerly Plaza) and their representatives Carter Jonas explain why they had formally opposed the proposed Worcester Woods Retail Park planning application. Worcester BID organised this and it followed a session held last October by the applicant’s agents, Savills, to inform businesses of the reasons why they want to build a Retail Park on the edge of Worcester.
At the meeting, businesses asked if I could produce a ‘guide’ on how to make your feelings known about the application so that everyone would know why and how they should express their thoughts, where to submit their comments, to provide useful background information and to see what other businesses have written to give you an idea of what is expected. We have also analysed the responses that we had from the questionnaire which was sent to all BID businesses in June.
Please click here for a copy of the excellent presentation made by Steve Norris of Carter Jonas at that meeting. Hopefully this will help you to get a clearer understanding of the issues that relate to the scheme in a very non-technical manner.
BID Survey Results:
We carried out a survey which was sent to all BID businesses in June and it is clear that businesses need to actively voice their opinion in greater numbers than those who have stated that they will. We had 78 responses (a response rate of 14.2%) and the following key results emerged:
It is clear that the strength of feeling against the development does not match the number of businesses who are prepared to do anything about it by making comments. Clearly, we are keen to ensure that as many businesses as possible make their feelings known. After all there will not be a second chance if the application is granted. Businesses need to act now if you want to influence the Planning Committee’s minds.
How to object to Worcester Woods – Planning Reference: P14Q0562
In order to make sure the council knows how worried you are about the impact of the Worcester Woods proposal, as many objections as possible need to be logged on the file. To do this you should submit your representations on the proposed Worcester Woods development to the planning department at Worcester City Council. To view all of the submitted documents and comments on the proposal as well as making your own submission, please click here.
Here are the comments of some of the city centre retailers that you might wish to view to help you get an idea of what you can write yourself
Armstrongs of Worcester, Sansome Walk
Toys and Games of Worcester, Broad Street
House of Fraser, Chapel Walk, Crowngate
Salmon Harvester (owners of Cathedral Square) – submitted by Carter Jonas
Businessman Duncan Sutcliffe
Amore, Reindeer Court
Wicked Hair, High Street
Federation of Small Businesses
Wise Owl Toys, Charles Street
Knowles Sports / Knowles Travel Goods, Broad Street
When making your representation, you should focus on material planning considerations for Councillors to consider. Some examples of these are:
Lobbying Councillors:
As well as submitting your comments, at the same time you may also wish to inform the local Councillors who represent the Cathedral Ward in the City Centre. Their email addresses are here:
Cllr Jabba Riaz – Jabba has stated that he is opposed to the development and would be willing to speak at the Planning Committee when the application is to be decided.
Cllr Lynn Denham – Lynn is on the Planning Committee and so cannot convey an opinion before the Planning Committee meet
Cllr Allah Ditta – I am unaware of Cllr Ditta’s views on the application
If you wanted to lobby the Councillor(s) where you live (if it is in the City Council boundary), a full list is available here . If you are not sure of your ward, this link will help
The Planning Committee comprises the following City Councillors just in case you want to let them know your thoughts as well. They cannot comment on the scheme ahead of the Committee meeting at which it will be decided but it is useful for them to know your feelings:
Councillor Mike Johnson is also the Portfolio Holder for, amongst other areas, retail & leisure and as such sits on the Council’s Cabinet.
Councillors not on the planning committee but who have publically expressed concerns about the application are Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Prosperity Councillor Marc Bayliss and Councillor Simon Cronin
How the Planning Committee operates is outlined here
Letting the Media Know
The Worcester Observer has recently published numerous letters to the Editor (pages 8&9) and this week’s edition (page 10) from residents and business owners who are opposed to the scheme. If you want to do the same, email Editor Rob George at editor@worcesterobserver.co.uk. Rob attended the presentation from Carter Jonas so is up to speed on the proposal
Tom Edwards at the Worcester News is the contact for your views to be expressed there. He can be emailed at tom.edwards@midlands.newsquest.co.uk . He has written various articles on the proposal over the last year and these can be found here
Tim Evans, Owner of Toys & Games of Worcester (@ToysGamesWorc) and a BID Director representing independent retailers has started a couple of Twitter hashtags #saveourcitycentre #no2worcesterwoods which you may wish to use to express your views as well. He has also encouraged some of his neighbouring businesses to put a poster in their shop window.
What else can I do?
Beyond the above, there are other things you can do to make sure that the level of opposition to the proposals is widely known in Worcester and encourage others to get involved.
If you have any queries relating to how you can have your say which isn’t covered above then please get in touch with me. Your views are really important so please don’t leave it for others to speak up, and don’t regret not doing anything. If you do submit a formal comment on the City Council’s planning page, please copy me in as I would love to know your thoughts.
I will keep you updated on any progress and confirmed dates for the application to be heard etc.
