Why protect this space?
We’re a group looking to protect the local green spaces, re-wilding areas for flora and fauna to flourish. Read on to find out why this space is unsuitable for a housing development.
Since the golf course closed two years ago, Nature has reclaimed the land creating a wonderful green space along the River Avon in Bradford on Avon.
This land has become a wildlife sanctuary and a vital place for Bradford residents to walk and exercise during Covid-19 lockdowns, providing a green corridor between The Strips wood and Widbrook wood. In all seasons it is a beautiful and peaceful place for the whole community to relax and experience the natural environment.
Wiltshire Council, however, has placed the former golf course at the top of its housebuilding priority list for West Wiltshire (see above, site 739 in blue). The Council wants developers to build 80 more houses in Bradford on three sites. The other two sites are small, so the majority of these houses would most likely be built on the golf course land.
Why the golf course is an inappropriate site:
Infrastructure
This move goes against the Bradford Town Council Plan and has no link to any other future plan for traffic, the environment or additional amenities needed such as schools and healthcare.
Wildlife
Wildflowers, bees, birds and animals such as otters, bats, newts thriving there would be displaced or destroyed and should be protected.
Contaminated land
The site was formerly the town tip, and construction there would risk releasing toxic chemicals into the air and into the river.
Environmental
In a Climate Emergency building homes on a green space is a bad idea. Concrete is the third biggest contributor to carbon and this cannot be ignored.
Access
The only access to the site for vehicles is on narrow residential streets already congested with parking.
A safe space
This space could provide a safe, distanced area to walk in peace, among wild flora and fauna, a recharge for good mental health.
How you can help
Please check back on this site for updates or for the latest news and discussions, follow our Facebook page here.
LATEST UPDATES – READ ON HERE:
- Audio histories of the Old Golf Course and Bradford on AvonPlease click on the links under each interview to read a write-up/ summary of the discussion. If you’d like to participate in our audio history project, please contact us – we’d love to talk to you! BoA: a gentle place, despite its problems Jeff Parsons in conversation with Louise Weissel and Lucy Newmarch Christensen LorriesContinue reading “Audio histories of the Old Golf Course and Bradford on Avon”
- BoA: a gentle place, despite its problemsBased on an interview with Louise Weissel and Lucy Newmarch-Christensen on 25th August 2024. Jeff Parsons was born in 1942, lived in Bradford on Avon from 1970 to 2002. He worked as a surveyor for the urban district council from 1964 to 1974. He describes Bradford on Avon as a ‘gentle’ place, with minimal traffic,Continue reading “BoA: a gentle place, despite its problems”
- Lorries ‘ripped up’ St Laurence RoadLocal resident Julie Sherman talks about issues arising from the old town tip, working at the rubber factory and passes on memories of unusual bounties at the tip Written by Gillian Livingstone and based on an interview with Julie Sherman, by Louise Weissel Julie Sherman was born on 1 July 1952 and moved to Bradford on Avon in 1971Continue reading “Lorries ‘ripped up’ St Laurence Road”
Save The Old Golf Course 