Full extract taken from the Thornbury Gazette, dated 28th January 2010.
Reporter: Liza-Jane Gillespie.

Owners of Eastwood Park say they will have to sell some of its land to fund the estate’s future. Management at the 200 acres estate have revealed plans for a multi-million pound redevelopment of the site, including a new conference centre with accommodation and state-of-the-art medical training facilities.

However, bosses at the popular wedding venue say some of the estate will have to be sold to pay for the upgrade. John Thatcher, chief executive at Eastwood Park, said: “We have to do this. “We cannot carry on much longer doing this high-tech work in this environment. “At the moment we are using facilities that were made for other purposes. “We have garages and building that have been turned into laboratories and workshops. “If we can’t upgrade here we would have to look to move to another site. “This is going to cost a significant sum of money, which we cannot, resource. We are going to have to raise the money through enabling developments.”

Two areas identified for sale are an old military campsite to the back of the estate behind the Eastwood Park nursery and a corner of land south of Falfield village near the A38.

Mr Thatcher said the estate was now in talks with the Falfield community about the development which could include housing or a supported-living complex.
Eastwood Park used to be a private estate until it was bought by the Home Office on the 1930’s.

In the past 40 years it has provided specialist technical healthcare and engineering management training, as well as hosting weddings and conferences.

Mr Thatcher said: “What the business is looking to do is to go forward and to do that we need to have the right specialist technical facilities and resources.

We also want to restore some of the former glory of the estate. We need to demolish some of the older temporary buildings that were put up some 50 years ago.”

Mike Pirie, chairman of Falfield Parish Council, said: “The proposals have been received very well by the community.”

Below are comments and questions made by members of the public present at the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 19th January 2010 when the above was presented to the Parish Council and members of the general public.

Concern of drainage and flooding issues.

Size of proposed housing development close to the A38 ~ Answer was given that it could be approx one hectare consisting of approx 30 properties.

Lack of access through the estate due to the lack of a public footpath

Concern was raised that once any building was established on the proposed site close to the A38 that this would then allow further the potential of further development in subsequent years.

It was felt that there would only be two options open for access any development from either the A38 or Church Avenue. It was pointed out that Church Avenue was not an adopted road and that access from Church Avenue into Sundayshill Lane was already considered by many people to be unsafe.