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To: Aloc Sharma, Housing Minister

Save Foxhill, a beautiful housing estate in Bath!

Please stop the plans for the demolition of Foxhill, which is a beautiful, thriving estate in Bath.

Why is this important?

We have been campaigning for three years to stop the demolition of Foxhill by Curo, a social housing landlord and developer. Planning permission is being sought at present but there is a lot of opposition to the plans as they would result in the demolition of perfectly good homes and the loss of 256 social homes.

Foxhill is a thriving, supportive community, with a good level of employment, a low crime rate and houses which have in recent years been fitted with new bathrooms, boilers and kitchens. There are a few homes which need a small amount of improvement, such as better insulation. It is not a derelict area. Curo have acquired an empty site next door to Foxhill, where there is ample space to provide the affordable housing needed by the area. Although this empty site - Mulberry Park - is much larger than our estate - Foxhill - the density of building on Mulberry Park will be much lower than in Foxhill, where the density will increase by 30% after the demolition of 700 homes.

Curo's plans have created anxiety and ill health amongst many of the residents and it is feared that if planning permission is granted this may be used as a precedent and that other estates in Bath may then also become the victim of Curo's policies. 95 home owners who bought their houses under the Right to Buy scheme are now facing being priced out of their own homes. The Foxhill issue has now received national attention through the press and the media of radio and television which has done untold damage to Curo's reputation and credibility as a social landlord. Bath's reputation as a heritage site and a wonderful place to live will be tainted if the plans for the demolition of a peaceful, thriving estate go ahead.

The majority of residents and local residents association of the Bath community are opposed to these plans and the residents have suffered anxiety and uncertainty for three years already, to such an extent that many of us have become ill. Home owners, some of whom are elderly, will not be able to afford another home of similar value in Bath and the desperation is mounting. Vulnerable people who happily live in Bungalows will be offered flats where they risk becoming isolated. The plans will result in an increase in density of 30% of the current amount of homes (150 extra homes, many of which will be expensive market rate homes. Bath does need new homes but there is no need to demolish our community as there is room on the site adjacent to our peaceful estate:

Curo can build three blocks of flats of 50 flats each on Mulberry Park instead (next door to us!) , which would provide the 150 homes they would gain if they demolished our homes and community! Please support us, please help us! Thank you from Frieda, a resident of Foxhill estate.

Bath, Foxhill

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Updates

2017-05-15 19:59:57 +0100

100 signatures reached

2017-05-14 17:40:52 +0100

50 signatures reached

2017-05-13 22:11:17 +0100

25 signatures reached

2017-05-13 19:11:05 +0100

10 signatures reached