9th June 2018
On Bank Holiday Monday May 28th, 2018, over 80 people gathered at what is one of Bournemouth's oldest buildings now threatened by proposed development.
The Cob Barn at Holdenhurst dates back over 500 years, but plans for a nearby Business Park on the opposite side of the A338, with accompanying flyover will lead to the Barn's destruction, and have a detrimental effect on the village itself which, along with the barn, is in a designated Conservation area. The scheme will also encroach on the surrounding Green Belt.
Speakers from the campaign opposing the development plans, which include residents of Townsend and Holdenhurst, supported by their local Councillors, delivered a short history of Holdenhurst, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and believed the barn could be restored with a minimum of costs, perhaps as a small local museum.
Campaigners told the gathering that the proposed new Business Park will result in extra traffic to the already congested local roads, along with increased air and noise pollution. The existing footbridge over the A338 would be replaced by a shared pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles flyover.
The proposals are expected to go before the Bournemouth Council's Planning Board this summer 2018. The plans can be seen on the Council's website, and details of the objectors campaign can be seen on www.holdenhurstvillage.co.uk and www.bournemouthfriendsofriverside.org