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Portland residents have say on new foodstore
Portland residents are this week being asked for their views on revised plans for a new foodstore and housing development at the Stonefirms factory in Easton.Local people were first consulted on the scheme at a two day exhibition in March last year. Since that date, Chelverton Developments, the company behind the scheme, has been analysing the feedback from local people and having extensive discussions with officers of both Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and Dorset County Council. These comments have now been incorporated into a new set of proposals. A leaflet detailing the new plans will be delivered to islanders in the coming days, with a Freepost comment card asking for further feedback on the scheme. The foodstore is being developed on behalf of a major retailer and is designed to help islanders shop locally and reduce the need for them to travel off-island to meet their shopping needs. The need for the new store is supported by independent studies showing that 80% of Portland residents’ food shopping is carried out on the mainland. The studies also show that keeping food shoppers in the area would lead to extra trade for other local independent shops. Paddy Fox from Chelverton Developments said: “We have spent the last year incorporating feedback from our initial consultation. In the last 12 months, we have been very busy in trying to finalise a set of proposals which complements the existing shopping in Easton and meets the aspirations of islanders and, importantly, officers from Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and Dorset County Council. We have been really encouraged by the feedback on both fronts and this has led to a significant number of important changes to the scheme overall. “I believe that the feedback to date has enabled us to achieve a very aesthetic store design and an overall development that blends in well with the existing townscape. “One of the particular issues raised locally was in respect of highway safety. Over the past year we have had extensive consultation with Dorset County Council and we believe that the changes we have made to the scheme will make a very positive contribution to highway safety in and around Easton town centre. “We are hoping for a good response from islanders to these amended proposals. The feedback is important as it will help us fine-tune our proposals further before we submit our planning application and seek planning consent. “We believe that everyone acknowledges the benefits of having a centrally located store close to the other existing facilities in Easton as it will help significantly reduce car-borne trips”. Since the first phase of the consultation, the design of the development has been significantly enhanced. There has been a greater emphasis on the use of local materials and particular attention has been focused on feature details which will include, among other things, a feature stone wall along the access way, which will include seating, pergolas and sculptural stonework panels. Chelverton Developments is in discussions with Weymouth College about designing and creating the panels from Portland Stone. The sculptural panels are to provide an insight into island life in the past. The housing development provides a total of 36 units from four bedroom detached properties to smaller terraced houses and a number of flats, of which 12 will be affordable housing supplied by a registered social landlord. The housing scheme now includes a mix of designs to reflect the character and historic materials of Easton with natural Portland stone, rendered walls and slate roofs. One of the views from the site is of two old stone windmills that have inspired the creation of two stone towers as part of the buildings; one of the new towers will form a private house while the other will be divided into three flats. A care home is also provided at the far side of the housing. Significant changes have been made to improve road safety in the surrounding area. The changes include wider pavements, an increased number of pedestrian crossing points, pedestrian refuges and improved circulation around Easton Square. Considerable attention has been paid to the landscaping details, both within the site and entering into it. The developers are proposing to provide a set of boxed oak trees along the principal access way into the development which will reflect the existing landscape features within Easton Square. The design and layout of the foodstore has seen a number of changes, including important environmental improvements such as solar panels, a recycling area and additional space for protected trees. The second round of feedback will be incorporated into the plans before they are submitted to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council as part of a planning application later this year. ENDS For further information, please contact: Dan Bramwell, Bramwell Associates Ltd (Public Affairs and Community Consultation); Tel No: 01225 444419 or Mobile: 07968 304237 |
