It is confirmed that B&NES owned hostel, in Green Park in Central Bath, which was closed and put on the market, last year, in fact remains unsold and could therefore be renovated at far less cost than the proposed new building at Caroline House/Longacre on the London Rd.
We note that this large council owned hostel, known as Green Park House, was constructed about fifty years ago; it is very substantial and purpose built and constructed of local Bath stone. It contained until its recent closure, a supervised hostel for the adult vulnerable and supervised residential accommodation for the elderly as well as mixed social housing. We wonder why at the public meeting on 17th June when asked what alternatives exist to the site at Caroline House/Longacre, Cllr Colin Darracott, chairman of the meeting and member of the Bath Planning Committee said “there are no sites in Bath and that the only other solution would be for the hostel to be built outside the town”? Click HERE to hear it (Part 11 of the audio recording).
Why, therefore, is B&NES Council still willing to dispose of a very suitable and essential public owned asset at Green Park to build a similar one in another part of the city? At what cost for the tax payer and why on the London Road at a location that is unanimously considered completely unsuitable to ensure the safety of future residents?
Is B&NES planning to offset money received from the sale of the buildings at Green Park for the London Road community? Clearly this is not the case. The local police force has confirmed that no contingency plans have been drawn up to deal with a larger facility for the homeless. The Police admit that "the more people you fit in, the more problems you get. This leads to delays in response time and subsequent difficulties". Click HERE to hear it (Part 9 of the audio recording).
Members of the public have asked if there is any logic in the sale of the Green Park hostel. A comment from a resident echoes this: “I have contributed with my council tax for this hostel [Green Park] and for council tenant use. Why is it then, that B&NES and central government via tax payer’s money will now be subsidising Somer when they build a replacement hostel at Caroline House & Longacre?” Click HERE to hear it (Part 5 of the audio recording).
There will probably be no adequate explanation for the closure and sale of the Green Park House… Maybe this is the beginning of the answer: its closure and sale, with outline planning permission for demolition and re-development for commercial or corporate purposes have been included in the so called “Future for Bath”, an ambitious speculative commercial development proposal... To know more click HERE.
In this context aren’t people right to question the drive and motivation of B&NES Council current policy on social housing, including the disappearance of viable social housing stock, as it is happening at Green Park?
.jpg)
