.II .I EF 11 J 2005 I BERKELEY TOWN PLAN :I li I CONTENTS Pages 1. Introduction+ Location Map 3 2. Berkeley "Between the Four Bridges" Brief historical review 5 Present situation and Possible Future Challenges 6 3. Preparing the Plan- Consultations with the Community 8 4. The Working Group Results Business +Tourism 13 Transport + Accessibility 18 Employment, Education + Training 22 Youth, Leisure + Community Safety 24 5. Other Issues Neighbouring Parishes 28 Housing 30 6. Membership of the Community Plan Process 33 7. Who is going to take the Plan Forward? 35 8. List of Photographs 37 9. Summary of Proposed Action Plans 38 2 INTRODUCTION The town has a number of local services including a junior school, four places of worship, a medical centre and small hospital with a minor injuries unit and an optician. It also has a town hall, a library and several community groups and clubs including the WI, youth club, scouts and guides, historical society and theatrical clubs. The main tourist attractions for the area are Berkeley Castle, The Jenner Further to the Government's Rural Museum and Cattle Country Adventure White Paper produced towards the end Park. of 2001 the Countryside Agency has encouraged towns and villages all over The nearest Secondary School is at the country to compile Plans. Wanswell and our nearest police station is at Dursley, although we do Berkeley Town Council decided to take have a Neighbourhood Warden. part in this process, in conjunction with the Countryside Agency, Following the decision to complete a Gloucestershire Rural Community town plan a Steering Group was Council· and Stroud District Council. formed consisting of Town Councillors The purpose of the Berkeley Plan is to and members of SOC and GRCC. The identify issues and needs in community were invited to join the conjunction with the ·community and Steering Group but no one came address them in the form of an action forward. The following consultations plan. The Berkeley Plan will be used with the community have taken place. by the Town Council and other partners for the benefit of the town in Town Appraisal the future. Town Questionnaire Berkeley Faire Fun Day Stall Berkeley is located in the Severn Vale Berkeley Primary School mini­ in the southwestern corner of the survey Stroud District, close to the boundary Skaters' Taster' Event between Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire and has easy access We also consulted the following to the M5 in both directions and is documents: almost half-way between Gloucester and Bristol; therefore a considerable Housing Needs Survey (2003) amount of the community work in one Stroud District Parish Profiles or other of these locations. This can (Berkeley) (2004) have a detrimental effect on the local Stroud District Market Towns shops etc. Study (Berkeley Compendium)(2004) Shoppers Survey (2003) 3 Youth, Leisure and Community Safety. On analysing all of the above the following strengths and weaknesses The members of the working groups emerged: are on page 29. Further to the analysis a schedule of the main areas STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES of concern was drawn up to help each Free Car Parking Insufficient car working group. Each group met parkin~ several times to work on their specific Castle/Jenner Litter area and presented their proposed Museum/Cattle projects to a further stakeholder Country evening which was held in February. Canon Park Dog Fouling Recreation Representatives from the neighbouring Ground parishes Hinton, Ham & Stone, Berkeley Flyer B;::td Behaviour Alkington, Hamfallow, were invited to (local free (especially at provide their views regarding Berkeley. newspaper) ni~ht) Tourism Potential Lack of Disabled In April these were presented to the Facilities community in the Town Hall to enable Hospital (+ minor Poor public the community to prioritise the main injuries dept) transport five projects from each group. Good local Vehicles speeding schools through town The next few pages list out the top five Good pre-school Lack of amenities projects for each group with the full list activities (for all a~es) and proposed timetable starting on Beautiful Poor availability of page 32. surroundings Councillors The Plan has been drawn up purely on the responses we have received from A local Stakeholders' Evening was the local community and, of course, held in October 2004. This resulted in this is just the beginning because we four working groups being set up: now have to implement the Plan and our proposals for this are on page 30. Business & Tourism Transport & Accessibility Employment, Education & Training 4 BERKELEY· BETWEEN THE FOUR BRIDGES A Brief History Berkeley is an ancient settlement and is referred to in the Doomesday Book as "Berchelai". It sits on the top of a hill, which, until the flood barriers were erected in the last century, was surrounded by marshland, which frequently flooded when the River Severn burst its banks. Berkeley parish is today said to be within the four bridges of Berkeley, which can be seen on the map on page 4.1. The main focal point is Berkeley Castle, the building of which commenced in 1153 and is still inhabited by the same family today. Several notable events have taken The Parish Church of St. Marys is place over the centuries - the Barons unusually separate from the Bell Tower met at the Castle before meeting King but it is uncertain why this is so. The John at Runnymeade in 1215 and Church also probably dates back to the Edward II was murdered in the 12th century. dungeons. It was also ransacked on several occasions, most notably in The centre of the town has changed 1645 during the Civil War when it was very little over the past three centuries besieged by the Roundheads. Also a and the majority of buildings were built number of Kings and Queens have pre-1840 and are therefore listed visited over the centuries. buildings. Back in the 15th century Berkeley was Berkeley's most famous resident was a thriving port with barges coming up Dr. Edward Jenner who invented the The Pill (which is now little more than a procedure of vaccination whilst living in stream) from the River Severn with Berkeley. His house, The Chantry, is coal and salt for the Castle. It is now a museum dedicated to his believed there was a wharf in Jumpers memory. Lane and that this gave name to the pub at the top of Stock Lane - The Mariners. 5 PRESENT SITUATION . AND POSSIBLE FUTURE CHALLENGES British Nuclear Group Downsizing Housing Needs Survey February 2003 In September 2004 it was announced by the management of Reactor Sites Gloucestershire Rural Community (British Nuclear Group), Berkeley Council (GRCC) on behalf of Berkeley Centre that over the following three Town Appraisal Group carried out the years the number of staff would reduce survey, as a lot of the information from 1450 to 250 at the site. At the required would be of a private and same time it was announced that a personnel nature to those concerned. Task Force would be set up to look The Plan Committee did not see any of into the future use of the site. the returned papers, only the analysis by G.R.C.C. Responses indicated that 46 households would like alternative accommodation within 1- 5years; this included those moving home with the financial resources to make this possible. Of the remaining households 10 households indicated that they wished to downsize from a 3-bedroom property that they own (with or without a mortgage) to a 1 or 2 bedroom The Task Force subsequently bungalow, while 4 would like a smaller completed a report, which house. 12 wish to increase the size of recommended that the site should be their property and 7 would like an used as a business park and/or leisure alternative property of a similar size to park. The Task Force is due to discuss their present home. its findings with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) (the Future Need: site's new owners) on 1 July. It is possible that even if the site is The respondents indicated that 8 successful it will only generate a members of existing households might maximum of 400 jobs. require alternative accommodation in the longer term. Three of these were The outcome of the talks. with the NDA teenagers and two were older will have a major impact, as the residents who felt they might require situation will affect the prosperity of sheltered accommodation in the future. Berkeley. The employees of the site spend a lot of money locally and Regarding people with a local approx. 100 local people are employed connection wishing to return to the on the site. parish 17 forms indicated that previous household members would like to return if affordable accommodation was available. Financial information was provided for 12 of these households and indicated that only 6 three would be able to purchase on the 88% of respondents supported BTC in open market. its opposition to the Inspectors Report. 10% believed that more than 100 houses could be built in the Town. 39% only required infill within the planning envelope for the Town, but should building be required, 18% indicated that it should be on the northwest side of the Town. Stroud District Council, at its annual meeting on the 19/5/05, overwhelmingly voted to reject the Inspector's recommendations for Berkeley and remove them from the plan before going out to public consultation. BTC Housing Survey Results For Future will maintain a watchful eye until such Housing In The Town: times as the Local Plan gets accepted. BTC carried out an housing survey to The Town Council will now work with find the Towns response to the fact ABRAID (Association of Berkeley that a Government Inspector had put in Residents Against Insensitive the Local Plan that Berkeley be Development) for whom more than allocated 300 new homes on land to 1200 residents signed a petition to the east side, and adjacent to the main ensure that the land on the east side of entry road into the Town.