Hundreds sign petition call for entertainment at Bargates
REVISED PLANS FOR EMPTY SITE COMPRISE MOSTLY HOMES WITH SPACE FOR POSSIBLE CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS
HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling for an entertainment centre to be created on Burton’s old Bargates site.
More than 700 people have added their signatures to an online petition to have their say on the latest proposals for the controversial one-acre site after the latest plans were submitted to the council.
The latest plans came after discussions with planning officers at East Staffordshire Borough Council’s, which saw the applicants Jessups return with changed proposals that included fewer homes.
The latest plan includes 72 sheltered housing accommodation homes.
It also includes two commercial units – possibly for restaurants and cafés.
Bargates, off High Street, Burton, has been grassed over since 2011 after the old shopping centre and bowling alley were bulldozed when the site was sold to supermarket Tesco, which was set to build a superstore. However, the store was never built and the site was sold and has remained empty ever since.
A group of campaigners from the town have previously campaigned to bring bowling back to Burton, saying the town suffers from a lack of entertainment. Rebecca Talbott has now set up a petition, citing a poll previously conducted by the Burton Mail in November asking what people wanted to see built on the Bargates site, which predates the latest application. The poll revealed that 35 per cent of those who voted wanted to see restaurants and cafés, while 22 per cent wanted restaurants, cafés and a shopping centre; 17 per cent wanted a bowling alley; and 16 per cent wanted an entertainment centre.
Just four per cent wanted housing. Ms Talbott said: “The plan for the former Bargates in Burton’s High street has been unveiled by East Staffordshire Borough Council, in great haste.
“It advocates that 72 sheltered houses are to be built there, despite a recent poll conducted by the Burton Mail that saw just four per cent wanting housing.
“Riverside cafés, restaurants, shops and an entertainment centre were amongst the most popular with over 90 per cent of the votes between them.
“Since losing our bowling alley, our town has longed to have some sort of entertainment again. Something that everyone could enjoy, along with Burton Civic Society plans which incorporated a marina-style outlook which would be absolutely perfect for this location and setting overlooking the beautiful river.”
A spokesman for Jessups said: “It appears that objections seem to be based on last year’s proposals which have now been withdrawn.
“Following extensive consultations with the local authority and the civic society, we have now drawn up these latest proposals.”
The application is due to be decided in the next few months.