Plans to build a ‘New Dullbridge’ on the outskirts of Dullbridge will be placed before Sadgebore District Council for final approval shortly. Outline planning permission was granted in 2019, despite objections from Smalltown and Dullbridge (SaD) Town Council and residents.
A spokesbore for Sadgebore District Council said “It’s quite clear that old Dullbridge is experiencing problems with anti-social behaviour and residents in the area constantly complain that Town, District and Cuonty councils simply aren’t interested in their problems and do nothing to improve conditions in the town. We’ve decided that the simplest solution is to move Dullbridge away from the old site and rebuild it on green and pleasant land.
By approving this development, subject to the usual conditions of shedloads of money in the form of a Section 106 agreement, we will see financial gains which can be either spent in Fridgepond or given to SaDTC to fritter away as they see fit.”
The plans include a mix of housing and retail units and the developers have also dangled the carrot of the possibility of a new doctors surgery to appease local objections about a lack of infrastructure.
A spokesbrick for the developers, Greedyside Partnerships said “The proposed retail units could take the form of a mixture of shops, community hall, doctor’s surgery, and/or other uses that are compatible with a residential neighbourhood. As it is highly likely that we will be unable to find buyers for the shops, or anyone to take on running a community centre and, let’s face it, there aren’t enough doctors currently to fill local surgeries, so the chances of getting any doctors into a surgery are nil, in the future we plan to apply for further permission to develop the area currently earmarked as ‘community use’ into more housing instead.”