City Council Stanmore pledge
The Leader of Winchester City Council has pledged that no house in Stanmore will be demolished without the express agreement of the owner or occupier.
Cllr Keith Wood said
I want to reassure Stanmore residents. No council house will be demolished without the agreement of the occupiers. And, in the case of privately-owned houses, there is no question of the council using compulsory purchase orders.
The reassurance follows recent headlines about the Stanmore development framework which suggested that residents were ‘Shocked to find homes could be demolished’.
Consultants, Broadway Malyan, have been hired to collect views on residents’ concerns and issues in Stanmore, which is a priority area for the City Council.
Cllr Wood added
The purpose is to see how we can improve the lives of residents, which clearly will not be served by demolishing their houses against their will.
We have already heard concerns that residents want more housing at Stanmore so that their children and others with local connections can live there. The consultants have identified areas that they think are worthy of consideration – but that is exactly what it is at this stage … for consideration only.
The City Council has made no decisions and will not do so until the full report is received. Any proposal that might require the demolition of a house – were it to be accepted – would be discussed privately with the occupant before it is taken further.
Winchester City Council has already written to those residents whose houses have been identified by the consultants to reassure them of this. Residents are encouraged to take the opportunity to give their views to the consultants so that they will be fed back to the Council.
The Council’s ward members for Stanmore are also committed to representing the views of local residents. Cllr Jamie Scott, who sits on the steering group for the project and has lived in Stanmore all his life, said
This is an exciting time for our neighbourhood, and I want the very best outcomes for the people who live here. I am working closely with officers and the consultants during this consultation phase, and am absolutely committed to representing the views of local people, right across the range of issues that are addressed by this Framework.