Clueless, interfering councillor supports high rents in Bedminster and low rents in Redfield.
Decent homes for everyone, but not for Bedminster.
GORMLESS Green councillor, ROB “BEMMIE BOY” TELFORD, Sir Gus Hoyty-Toyty’s Ashley Ward mini-me, has been practising u-turns.
For some reason, back in March, Bemmie Boy took it upon himself to comment on the controversial proposed 15 storey high tower block development at ST KATHERINE’S PLACE at the top of East Street in Bedminster, some TWO MILES from his leafy ward.
“I think the scheme would have a detrimental effect on a lot of the local character, with surrounding trees blocked out from many vistas. The buildings are simply too high and block many other vistas,” pronounced the resident of, er, ST WERBURGHS in a formal letter about the application.
But not only is Bemmie Boy interfering in South Bristol where he’s not wanted, he can’t make up his mind up either. Five months later, just before the planning meeting, he wrote formally again: “Having MET WITH THE ARCHITECTS of this scheme and discussed some of the contentious issues surrounding it, I would like to withdraw my previous objection to this planning application,” he announced.
Why the architects were meeting with the councillor for Ashley to discuss a development miles away in Bedminster isn’t clear.
And neither is it clear why the Bemmie Boy’s Ashley Ward colleague SIR GUS HOYTY-TOYTY also waded into this SOUTH BRISTOL PLANNING ISSUE on the Bristol 24/7 news site with one of his semi-literate internet hissy fits aimed at local, south Bristol Lib Dems who are unhappy with this risible, though highly profitable, scheme that will deliver luxury flats and absolutely No AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
Why have this pair developed such a passionate interest in a multi-million pound property development on the other side of town all of a sudden?
Meanwhile Bemmie Boy, while promoting luxury private developments with high rents for the wealthy in Bedminster, is also fighting “to end rip-off tenancy fees and insecure renting”.
in EAST BRISTOL. Again, an area some two miles from his ward.
Bemmie Boy was spotted in July joining a protest in Redfield organised by the Easton based Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now (ACORN) against estate agent Holbrook Moran and their ripping off of private tenants.
We wonder whether Bemmie Boy informed his fellow protestors about his support for luxury
private developments in South Bristol?
I’ve been having some interesting debates with Rob Telford for over a year now, ever since he challenged me via the Evening Post. He keeps them on his blog: “The Greens -v- UKIP Let Battle commence.” He has a lot to learn about debating. Looking for the odd sentence and trying to find within it a meaning that will confirm his own beliefs of what UKIP stands for without taking into context in which it was written shows the level of his debating style.
Telford wants a piece of the action and working alongside his pal Hoyt, who’s The Mayor’s assistant and another embarrassment for Bristol, will give him that. It just goes to show The Greens’ hypocrisy – the love of big business and wealthy enterprises against the real needs of the people and their problems. A shame they can’t help Avonmouth with theirs.
It should be obvious to anyone by now that Fergusson, Hoyt and Telford are only concerned with causing chaos across the City of Bristol, between unaffordable housing to a blanket speed limit of 20mph and RPZ. Bristol deserves a lot, lot better.
That said, I am looking forward to next year’s elections when UKIP BRISTOL will be fielding a candidate in the ASHLEY WARD area. Watch out Telford – your days are numbered – as battle takes its next level!
Thanks for your comment, Christine.
It seems you’ve slightly misunderstood. It’s “Horrible” Hoyt who is standing in Ashley in 2015, not me…please do try and keep up. Looking forward to a lively debate, regardless.
Gus is sitting opposite me, and I can tell you he is absolutely quaking in his boots.
Having myself voted Green in Ashley Ward, I have now seen the error of my ways. What we have indeed noticed is that both Hoyt and Telford pay very little attention to their own ward and simply refuse to represent them, particularly if what they are wanting or needing is not within Green Party so called principals. However, they are quite active, and some would say downright interfering, outside their ward! Even turning up to meetings in Southville claiming that any decent about RPZ was created by certain outsiders from Ashley Ward who weren’t there! Amazing! Meantime, they tweeted that the 400 strong march from Clifton to the council house earlier this year was ‘invalid’ because there were four people from Ashley Ward marching…deeming them ‘outsiders’. They were really paranoid that during the informal consultations for Montpelier RPZ…that nasty outsiders would turn up and ‘upset’ people! Even worse…there might be a Lib/Dem on the march which of course discredits the whole issue. So then when a whole encampment of people turn up in Sussex to protest about fracking…that is OK of course. When presented with this incongruence, Mr Telford simply looked mystified. In fact, he looks mystified most of the time really, while Mr Hoyt just looks confused and vacant.
Thanks for your comment, Councillor Christian Martin (Lib Dem, Clifton…or is it Clifton East?).
I highly doubt you voted Green in Ashley ward, but as it’s a secret ballot, I suppose you could have done.
We pay quite a lot of attention to what is going on, but you’re obviously free to believe otherwise.
Neither Gus or I have ever gone to any RPS meetings in Southville, so that’s a strange thing to mention.
I suppose driving a tank down a high street IS a fairly rational response to a transport scheme, right?
I dunno – I kind of think a Montpelier RPS consultation should be for local people, not for people from St Andrews or St Pauls or St Werburghs. Call that paranoia if you like.
Yep, I think industrialising the countryside in a way that can’t be reversed is probably a bigger issue than whether a person can find a parking space. Completely different scales of importance.
Yes, I’m completely mystified by you and your antics, Christian. I don’t mind admitting that.
Right, now for the substantive article:
1) Don’t be so rude.
2) I express my views on developments in all parts of the city on a monthly basis at my Development Control committee meetings. Should I stop doing this as well, and just sit there, mute?
3) I don’t support high rents in Bedminster, I support the regeneration opportunity that this development provides. I think that building in the inner city on brownfield land is preferable to building out-of-town suburban homes that aren’t well-connected (at present) to the jobs that people need.
4) The problem with this scheme is that, as you point out, it doesn’t offer affordable housing. This is a huge downside, but the knock-on effect of this development – and subsequent plans for the area – will be a significant regeneration project for south Bristol. On balance, I thought it was worth supporting – or at the very least, withdrawing my earlier objection. More jobs will hopefully be forthcoming in the area, which has to be a positive.
5) There’s nothing evil or wrong about talking to developers and hearing their plans. I met the developers because I was invited to by Green Party colleagues south of the river. I’m not someone who believes we should never build anything because developers are intrinsically bad and evil people. I was convinced by their explanation of the building’s sustainability, and by their desire to regenerate the area.
6) Changing your mind is also not an evil. Would you prefer that we always stuck to exactly what we’ve previously said, even if it turns out to be wrong? We all get things wrong.
7) No, I didn’t mention that I support the St Catherine’s Place development at the Acorn demo, but then it didn’t come up in conversation. Affordable, safe and secure housing is a key component of building a better society, and I’ll support it whenever I can. I’ll also support new developments when I feel they have a regenerative effect, which I think this one will…
Yours,
Rob Telford
Councillor for Ashley ward and vice-chair of the Development Control (A) Committee
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