Tenants fearing their homes face the bulldozer are reassured

Tenants worried by a council planning blueprint have been assuredthere are no plans to knock down their flats.

A strategic report looking at possible development sites in theBath area has pinpointed the Rosewell Court flats in Monmouth Streetas part of an area ripe for new building schemes.

Local councillor Andy Furse has now suggested that Bath and NorthEast Somerset Council holds a public meeting to tell the flats'Somer Housing tenants what is going on.

He has written to the residents of the 120 flats highlighting thearea's inclusion in the document and says he has been contacted bythree tenants worried about the matter. But Somer, the city'sbiggest landlord, said it had no plans to demolish the complex.

Managing director Angela Gascoigne said: "I know that there aresome residents at Rosewell Court who have been very worried becausethey are afraid they may lose their homes. Somer Community HousingTrust has no plans whatsoever to demolish Rosewell Court."

She added that the housing trust would itself be responding tothe council's latest draft core strategy, which looks at wherehomes, offices and other developments might be built between now and2026, and which is currently out to public consultation.

The number of new homes likely to be allowed in B&NES has beensharply reduced by the council from a figure backed by the oldLabour Government after the Coalition administration gave greaterpowers to local authorities over such planning.

Ms Gascoigne added: "We would also encourage all of our residentsto get involved in the consultation process and have their say onany issues that interest or concern them.

"We welcome any opportunities for our residents to find out moreabout the draft core strategy and to engage in the council'sconsultation.

"We would therefore be pleased to help facilitate any meetingsbetween Bath and North East Somerset Council and our residents atRosewell Court, or indeed with any of our residents, to discuss thedraft core strategy further."

The flats are bracketed with the empty Kingsmead House officeblock, offices at Plymouth House - which B&NES itself is vacating -and the city's telephone exchange as a location where the localauthority would "welcome" what are described as mixed usedevelopment proposals.

A planning application by developer Telereal Trillium to knockdown Kingsmead House to make way for a 190-room hotel has beenlodged with the council.

Mr Furse (Lib Dem, Kingsmead) said tenants wanted to know whatthe designation in the blueprint meant.

In an email to senior council figures, he says: "I am nowreceiving a number of phone calls from Rosewell Court residentsasking what this means to them. In fact, today one resident isasking whether she should go ahead with her planned redecoration ofher flat in the next few months.

"I raised at full council that specifically mentioning people'shomes would lead to anxiety and concern. I now ask what the councilproposes to offer to residents to offset these concerns now that thedraft core strategy is released to the public."

The area around the flats is one of nine locations in and aroundthe city centre where the council says such development plans wouldbe welcomed, providing they fit in with national planningregulations and its other policies. Many include buildings which arecurrently in active use such as parts of Walcot Street around theHilton Hotel and Podium centre, a stretch of Manvers Streetincluding the police station, and Green Park Station, as well asderelict spots such as the Stothert and Pitt site.

A council statement said: "The draft core strategy looks at thepotential to redevelop many locations within Bath in the long term,including the Kingsmead area. It is a plan that looks forward to2026, and within this period it is a valid objective to try to im-prove areas such as Kingsmead while maintaining affordable housingin and around the city centre.

"Potential schemes for the area, which includes Rosewell Court,Kingsmead House, Plymouth House and the short stay car park, wouldnot necessarily directly affect Rosewell Court. It is unlikely thata financially viable scheme would be forthcoming for Rosewell Courtwithin the next ten years."