No room for Vintage Quarter in new St Michael's plansThis weekend saw another of the hugely popular Vintage Markets, a nostalgic mix of antiques, clothes and food, that takes place every month on the St Michael's Trading Estate. The event draws in hundreds of visitors to Bridport, many from as far as Brighton and London, all excited to have found a town that still understands the value of it's community.
All this could disappear if new development plans by the owners of the trading estate get the go-ahead. The plans, which were put on public display for just one day last week, propose removing half of the historic industrial estate to make way for a new housing estate. The problem is there's no room for the Vintage Quarter in the new plans, and there would also be a significant reduction in the number of small businesses currently based there.
To support us, please join our Facebook page, here...Stakeholder Proposal RejectedEarlier this year a working group led by Bridport Town Council invited the Haywards to form a Stakeholders group with tenant representatives from St Michael's Trading Estate. It was suggested this group could work alongside the architects to make sure that any new development would protect local businesses and also be sympathetic to the existing character of the area. However, the Haywards rejected this offer, and their architects seem to have disregarded the far-reaching appeal of the Vintage Quarter.
Many local jobs at riskIt also appears that the new plans have the tacit support of the West Dorset District Council Planning Department, and many tenants on the estate are angered that their local Planning Department seem to favour a massive private housing development instead of protecting the jobs of dozens of the most vulnerable small businesses. Indeed, the employment provided by the St Michael's Trading Estate is vital to the economic prosperity of Bridport as a whole, and surely a priority in the current economic climate.
New plans are bad for local economyThe tenants say that if they had been allowed to help design the new plans as part of a Stakeholders group, then they would have concentrated on making more low cost business units available - as every available space on the estate is currently taken, and there is always demand for more. They also point out that the Art & Vintage Quarter is now one of the most thriving areas of Bridport and that any new plans should be building on what's already working. One tenant commented "If the plans are to really benefit the town, then they should increase the number of business and light-industrial units - creating more employment for the town - rather than losing valued industrial space to a short-sighted residential development."
Our Latin Quarter is a great asset to BridportIn fact the Art & Vintage Quarter seems to have hit a winning formula in recent years, with a vibrant mix of art studios, antiques shops and small businesses that is now widely recognised as a key cultural centre in the West Country. Indeed, the area is now seen as an important asset to Bridport's wider reputation, both in terms of the creative industries that it nurtures and the number of new visitors it brings to the town.
A community-led regenerationThe success of the Art & Vintage Quarter is largely the result of the hard work of a diverse community of enterprising and imaginative people, who have brought about a grass-roots regeneration of the former rope-making estate. The key seems to have been the coming together of a number of elements that appeal to the discerning eye of the cultural tourist - a bohemian cocktail of art, food and commerce: first there's the creative discoveries to be make while exploring the rabbit-warren of art studios in the long Edwards building, followed by a ramble through the various antiques and vintage stalls down by the river, leading to some delicious home-cooked delights in the Red Brick 'community' Cafe.
Low cost units have helped small businessesThis community-led regeneration of the trading estate has only been possible because of the many affordable premises available on the estate for start-ups and small businesses. The St Michael's Trading Estate has - for a long time - been a vital source of low-rent space for low-income workers in the creative industries - including traditional crafts such as carpentry, masonry and upholstery. It has also provided a base for the remarkable melting-pot of designers, architects and artists that has established St Michael's Studios as one of the most respected art centres in the West Country.
In fact, the trading estate has been a vital starting point for many businesses, including Top Gear - founded in 1984 as a small car accessory shop - and the Clipper Teas - winner of Great Taste Awards in 2010. Currently there's also the Centre for Local Food - which provides meals for many local schools, the Trick Factory - an indoor bicycle park, the popular Red Brick Cafe, Wessex Wines, Discount Timber, Bridport Glass & Tiles, TLC - a community recycling organisation, Crawford's Classic Car repairs, a Vintage Van repairer, PNC - industrial fabricators, and dozens of other small businesses.
Bridport's unique character at riskIn 2009 a previous development proposal for St Michael's Trading Estate proved to be hugely controversial for the town, pitting the local community against the West Dorset District Council - who had made a joint planning application with Haywards. Those plans were overwhelmingly rejected by local people, who felt that they ignored the unique character of the town and also put at risk the dozens of small businesses based on the trading estate.
Bigger fearsThe biggest fear though is what else might happen if these new plans are approved. One of the main intentions of the new plan is to change of use of the site from Industrial to the much more lucrative Mixed-use consent. If the development plan is approved then this would greatly increase the value of the land, and some believe that Haywards would then simply sell the site to another developer. This new developer might then decide to evict all the current tenants, and then submit a new plan for an even larger residential development. This would effectively end Bridport's hard-won cultural quarter and shatter this unique community.
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