Nailsea is a lovely place to live. It’s a town with a great sense of community and identity and it’s something we need to build on so that we leave it a better place for our children to live in.
Nailsea grew quickly in the 70s and 80s with major house building taking place, a large proportion being 4 bedroom detached houses. Nailsea then boomed in the 80’s and 90’s, with many people moving here to work in the growing financial sector in Bristol.
Throughout the 90’s this bubble began to deflate, and then the recession hit ten years ago. Families stayed and their children grew up, but unable to afford a house in Nailsea, the children left home and moved away – and we all became a lot older!
The old model of people simply moving up the property ladder stopped working as house prices rose so high, they simply became out of reach of younger people. This has meant that as families have grown and needed more space, it was cheaper to extend than move (raising the house value), adding to our young people’s struggle to even get on the property ladder in the first place.
The Present:
The effects of 10 years of recession hasn’t helped the situation in Nailsea. We now have an ageing population, well above the national average, and a big dip in the age 24-45 age group. That group with its young families are the main driver of any local economy, so we need development in our town with them in mind.
Having built so many 4 bedroom detached houses in the 80’s, there is now a real shortage of affordable housing in Nailsea. We need to do something to keep our young people here and to encourage new young people and families to Nailsea, for the health of our town and its community.
The local plan has not been finalised as yet and we need. to fight Nailsea’s corner to have sustainable development that comes with the right in fracture that not only facilitates the development, but deals with the current problems like Stone Edge Batch.
More development in Youngwood Lane, one of the most beautiful parts of Nailsea, is unsustainable, should be rejected and should be deemed Greenbelt.
North Somerset Council have rejected the development of ‘The Vale’ in Ashton Vale. One has to question why? Why reject 4,500 sub-urban homes built in three villages right next to Bristol, with all the infrastructure needed to support it already there? There are great public transport links meaning most people have no need of a car for work as Bristol is on the door step. The granting of this development would reduce the pressure on the rest of North Somerset for blanket housing development. If houses have to be built then the Ashton Vale development makes perfect sense, so you have to question North Somerset Council’s motives.
http://www.thevale-northsomerset.co.uk
What Nailsea needs is a thoroughly thought-out town plan which looks at the current needs of today’s Nailsea, as well as any future development. It should include a thorough look at Nailsea’s current infrastructure:
- What roads need improving, how we can build new roads to improve access to the town.
- We need to look at economic development and jobs.
- How we improve the use and well-being of the High Street
- How can we improve Town centre parking, how it’s used and its condition?
- We need to ask ourselves where we can build affordable homes for our young people?
- We need to look at public transport. How we can further develop the railway station to the benefit of both Nailsea and Backwell? How can we improve the cycle routes in and around Nailsea?
The Town Centre:
The iconic library building will be empty by the Summer. Hopefully the new accessible library will give us the opportunity to develop its services for the future, especially its children’s work – no more spiral staircase! The old building’s long-term future is unsure, but I and other independent councillors have been working behind the scenes to help find an answer for it and the long-derelict privately owned Weston College site. It would be great to develop these sites hand in hand to achieve something that will enhance Nailsea centre, like affordable housing; commercial units; a local business hub; a marketplace perhaps; the health of the town would be greatly enhanced if an answer can be found here.
A huge plus is 65 High Street, which has made a real contribution to the well-being of the town. It shows what can be done if the local community and council get together.
The High Street
With so many charity shops on the High Street (and now solicitors and accountants for lack of office space), it’s clear we have a real problem with the health of the town centre and providing space for our local businesses. We need to bring together our business community in Nailsea to look for ways forward. As the representative of Yeo Ward, which includes most of northern Nailsea and the High Street, I would hope to be a catalyst in the regeneration of Nailsea and its town centre.
Over the last year or so, the Town Councils taking over of 65 High Street from North Somerset Council has been a real success and shows what can be done if the local community and Town Council get together and build something for the future. It now provides a base for numerous charities and groups working for the benefit of our town.
65 also provides space for a great youth group, but much more needs to be done for the youth of our town, to make them feel like a listened-to part of the community.
The work at 65 High Street is very much on going and I’m sure it will continue to be a great asset to the town.
4 years ago, North Somerset Council was left by the Conservatives in a dire state. No real public consultation had gone on for a full 12 years as the council was run as an autocracy. The large number of independent councillors elected at the last election enabled the council to be run as a co-operation between all parties (which the Conservatives refused to be part of). Although democracy can be messy, this cooperation does work well. Giving voice to every opinion. Most of all it means the council is now has a mechanism to consult continually with the public, something the previous administration neither had nor wanted.
And the current administration does listen. I shouted very loudly for the retention of the Backwell Recycling Centre AND my arguments were listened to by the executive!
There are still things I need to shout loudly about. We need to fight Nailsea’s corner to have a thoroughly thought-out local plan, looking at infrastructure, economic development and jobs, affordable housing for our young people, car parking, roads improvements, better public transport, and development of the station etc. We need sustainable development of our town with supporting infrastructure, not the likes of Taylor Wimpey and Netherton Wood, forced on us by the government’s inspectorate with no thought of the local community!