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Cookham Residents Call for Public Meeting on Development Plans
(10 November 2005)
Meeting is planned for Wednesday 7 December at the Pinder Hall
Cookham
residents turned up in droves, along with our three Borough Councillors,
to the Parish Council Meeting on 1
November to discuss the plans for new houses and flats on Lower Road at
both the GKL site and also the old Colin Hatch builders yard. In all
there are 22 new homes being requested with the possibility of another
44 cars in an already congested Lower Road. Several people asked
questions and pointed out the problems of having such over development
in an already congested area. Since the meeting the plans for the Colin
Hatch development have been resubmitted.
One comment made at the meeting was that we should not be looking at plans in isolation and that it is imperative that Cookham has a Village Plan as to what should be happening in the village.
Tord Norstrom, whose home will be affected by the GKL development has requested the Parish Council for a meeting with the Borough Council, Councillors and also Theresa May MP.
The Clerk to the Parish Council has talked to the Chairman and the idea of a public meeting will be suggested at the next Planning Meeting on 22 November. The Clerk will be writing to Teresa May to try to book her time and also to get people from the Royal Borough to come and respond, this will include councillors who are members of the Borough Planning Committee.
Below is the Cookham Society correspondence with Theresa May MP and her reply.
LETTER FROM COOKHAM SOCIETY TO THERESA MAY MP
Dear
Mrs May
Last
week the Parish Council considered three major planning applications for
Cookham Rise. The applications were all for developments which meet the
ODPM guidelines as to density and location in brownfield sites. The
trouble is that the infrastructure of Cookham Rise in particular is
already overstretched; the narrow roads small plots and large number of
vehicles make it very difficult and sometimes dangerous to move around.
Most people who have moved here are afraid that the village which they
came to live in is being destroyed and they cannot do anything to stop it.
The
Cookham Society and the local community are extremely concerned that we
are powerless to act to protect our village. Each planning application has
to be considered on its own merits and as far as we have been able to
ascertain, there is no way that the overall state of Cookham has to be
taken into consideration when the Borough planning panel take decisions.
When the Borough refuse these applications it is very likely (on previous
experience, certain) that they will be allowed on appeal. The residents
have no come back.
I
attach a copy of an email I received today from a resident who lives
beside one of the proposed development sites. With the Parish Council and
other local groups we are arranging a public meeting to discuss what
actions might be open to us – we seem to have few options using the
current planning regulations. We would be very glad if you could find time
to attend.
Best
regards from
David
Ashwanden
Chairman
Cookham Society
LETTER FROM THERESA MAY MP TO COOKHAM SOCIETY
David
I
share the concerns and feelings of frustration felt by local residents
that the system does seem to be stacked against them. Sadly Mr Prescott's
new density figures mean developments are becoming ever more tightly
packed with the resultant increased pressure on the local infrastructure
in its widest sense. Added to that is the problem that when the Government
encouraged building on brownfield sites we never realised that sites where
there were existing houses could be defined as brownfield. Hence the
overdevelopment we are seeing across Maidenhead and surrounding villages.
I
would be very happy to attend a public meeting if I am available on the
date concerned - my secretary Jenny Sharkey on sharkeyj@parliament.uk
will be able to advise re dates.
As
regards consideration of any application, while each must be considered on
its merits, my belief has always been that it is possible for councils to
take into account the impact of a development on the locality and
therefore by definition be able to consider the cumulative impact of any
application. The problem is that they are not able to take into account
infrastructural issues like water supply and school places. I have argued
for some time that these wider infrastructural issues should be able to be
taken into account in determining any application.
I
hope this is helpful
Theresa
May
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Proposed Site for 11 New Flats at GKL Lower Road |
Proposed Site for 7 x 3 bed dwellings, 4 x 4 bed dwellings with no garages at Colin Hatch builders' yard Lower Road
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