A desperate need in this area

IT IS with great dismay that the members of the Winscombe-Sandford and District Senior Citizens Forum read your report of the decision of the North Somerset south area planning committee to recommend refusal of the planning application and listed building consent for the care village in Sandford proposed by St Monica's Trust.We find the arguments in favour of this recommended rejection bear little resemblance to the proposals as presented by the trust. The proposals for housing and community facilities for those suffering from dementia, the elderly and those in need of affordable housing will help to fulfil a desperate need in this area, especially the villages of Sandford and Winscombe. The railway station site is admirably situated and if the listed buildings are left much longer it will become a derelict site. We find the proposals of St Monica's Trust both appropriate and worthwhile. The use of the listed station buildings for community use will be very acceptable to the village.We understand there is a lot of support locally for the proposals and we hope that at their meeting on August 22 the members of North Somerset planning and regulatory committee will listen to the voices of the local people, ignore the recommendation of the south area committee, and approve the application.JOHN ELLIS - The Lynch, Winscombe, Chairman Winscombe-Sandford & District Senior Citizens Forum