STATEMENTS ON MARSH MEADOW CAR PARK

 (21 September 2000)

Statements or information are available from the following regarding the proposed plans to build a car park on Marsh Meadow

COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL

held a

PUBLIC MEETING 

on Wednesday 20th September 2000 

at 7.30pm at Cookham Rise School

to discuss the proposed plans for a car park on Marsh Meadow

The Parish Council rejected the application for Planning Permission

COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL

The Cookham Parish Council have allowed Cookham.com to print the following Minutes from their Planning Meetings, which refer to Marsh Meadow.

20 June 2000

The Chairman had attended a meeting at the Town Hall to discuss the latest plan from the Royal Borough for the construction of a new car park on Marsh Meadow. The latest proposal called for a car park of  100 spaces, with a road built across the centre of Cookham Moor and a Footpath leading across the Moor in front the of the Crown Public House. The car park would be illuminated by lamps 3metres high. Associated with it was the introduction of Resident Only Parking on School Lane and around the War Memorial, with an annual charge of £5 per permit per person. 
The National Trust (represented by Peter Eva at the meeting) opposed the roadway over The Moor, the Borough Councillors being opposed to the lights. In response to questions raised by Cllr A. Prichard, it was not clear what the total cost would be, nor who would benefit from the new car park (ie shopkeepers, residents or tourists). The Royal Borough were now re-drawing the plan prior to a further discussion at a future date. 

18 July 2000

The Chairman had been given an advanced copy of a press release by a new group calling itself the Marsh Meadow Protection Group pledged to oppose the building of a car park on Marsh Meadow.   The Council were  reminded that their current position was that they opposed the proposal and therefore no further comment could be made at this stage.

1 August 2000

The Chairman advised that a draft copy of the proposed Planning Application for a new car park in Marsh Meadow had been given to him by Michael Lawrence in response to the Council's request for an advanced copy before the proposals were circulated to the public.   He therefore proposed that an informal discussion should take place to sound out the Council's views and for the Chairman to advise Michael Lawrence of these discussions on the following day.   It was agreed,  however, that the official response of the Council to the latest proposals would be given at a later date when the plans had been circulated through the Planning Application procedure. 

It was noted that the new plan proposed a car park of 90 spaces with a single track access road over the centre of  Cookham Moor with a passing loop,  a gravel surface,  subdued lighting  4 metres high on the car park itself and pedestrian access in front of the Crown Public House.   Associated with the new car park was the introduction of Resident Only Parking in allotted spaces in High Street.

In a discussion which followed,  concern was expressed over the security of the car park,  especially at night,  where in spite of the subdued lighting,  the surrounding trees and shrubs planted around the perimeter would hide the activities of car thieves, vandals,  drug users and other unsavoury characters.   Other concerns were the known opposition of the National Trust to the entrance over Cookham Moor,  the lack of access road lighting,  the obtrusive nature of the 4 metre lights and potential problems posed by the "Residents Only" Car Parking in High Street for which a £5 registration fee was proposed without any guarantee that the place could be reserved.

15 August 2000   

The Chairman stated that in view of the national coverage which the proposed car park on Marsh Meadow had engendered,  he proposed that the consideration of the Planning Application by the Parish Council should be delayed until late September 2000 on the firm assumption that the Control Panel would not be considering the plan until next November at the earliest.   After discussion,  it was agreed that in view of the large public attendance which was expected,  it would be preferable to book the main hall at Cookham Rise School on the first available Tuesday night avoiding dates already planned for Council Meetings.   It was further agreed that at this meeting,  the Council would listen to the views of the public before deliberating its own views for onwards transmission to the Royal Borough.  The Clerk was requested to arrange the date of the meeting once the School Secretary had returned from leave.

THE COOKHAM SOCIETY

PRESS STATEMENT

The Proposed Marsh Meadow Car Park

The Society has now had the opportunity to discuss the proposals contained in the current Planning Application.  We concentrated on the concerns expressed by some of our members, which have also perhaps induced Cookhamites to sign the petition currently circulating in the Village.

We have been successful in the past in protecting Cookham from major incursions of the type produced by gravel extraction; however, the detrimental effect on our Conservation Area caused by car parking is far more subtle as it builds up slowly over a period of time.

Stanley Spencer painted no less than five pictures that feature parts of The Moor and the War Memorial.  Standing in this area now it is hard to capture the scene that inspired him due to the presence of large numbers of parked vehicles.  The committee, therefore, decided to seek a solution to this problem.  We feel that the current proposals, whilst not ideal, provide the only practical solution – invitations to provide other solutions have produced only a resounding silence.

The main objections to the Planning Application appear to drop into three categories: the access arrangements, security, and fears of commercial exploitation.

Two options for access have been proposed.  The Society does not consider that one is clearly better than the other – both have advantages and disadvantages.  Clearly the final decision will rest with the Landowners concerned; namely the National Trust and Copas Farms.  The Society cannot greatly influence the decision and we consider that either option is workable; both are less environmentally damaging than having a car park on The Moor.

Who could possibly claim that the current situation with respect to car security in Cookham is satisfactory?  We must be careful, however, not to make the situation worse.  Lighting is an essential part of the security package.  However, this is a sensitive area and the Society has suggested that, initially at any rate, only part of the Car Park should be lit since only a part is likely to be in use in the evenings.  If experience shows that the provision is inadequate then improvements could be incorporated at a later date.

We have also asked for further consideration to be given to three metre high columns rather than the four metres proposed.  If CCTV can be installed it is possible that the Village could actually finish up with a more secure parking area than that currently available.

As regards fears of commercial exploitation of Marsh Meadow; Copas Farms currently have certain restricted rights to undertake commercial enterprises on the site on a limited number of days per year.  Such enterprises do not require planning consent and since there is access to the Meadow available from Terry’s Lane nothing that happens in the area of The Moor is going to affect the situation.  Once again, however, with the objective of not opening up further avenues for commercial exploitation, we have asked for conditions to be applied to any planning consent for the proposed Car Park, which would ensure that any access to it through Marsh Meadow was for agricultural purposes only. 

The Society believes that this proposed development does not constitute a dangerous precedent for erosion of the Green Belt as this is a one for one substitution for the existing Car Park, and both sites are in the Green Belt.  The existing site, however, is also in a Conservation Area, whereas the proposed site is approximately one acre of a fifty-acre field and 300 metres from the river – hence it does not materially affect the setting of the River Thames.

For all these reasons the committee feel that the Society should continue to support this proposal in principle in the hope that the planning process can be used to overcome any difficulties associated with its implementation.

Cookham & Bisham District

The Cookham & Bisham District of the CPRE have allowed Cookham.com to reproduce the following letter that the Chairman of the Cookham & Bisham Branch sent to the Borough Council stating the views of the CPRE on the Marsh Meadow Planning Application.

RE: PROPOSED CAR PARK ON MARSH MEADOW COOKHAM PLANNING APPLICATION NO. 00135904 

Please accept this letter as written objection to the above proposed Planning Application. 

The reasons for the Cookham and Bisham CPRE District's objections to the development are as follows:- 

1 . The plan proposes that the car park is built on what is now designated Green Belt land. 

2. The area is directly adjacent to the Cookham Conservation area. 

3. Access to the proposed new car park will be across Cookham Moor an area which was purchased by the commoners of Cookham for preservation in perpetuity. The area is now cared for by the National Trust, but was not purchased by them and there is some doubt that they may have the title to give permission for an access road to be constructed. 

4. The car park will detract from an historically important landscape. 

5 . The proposal to light the car park will detract from the essentially rural area of the village and be clearly seen from the nearby Thames and the Thames Path. 

In addition to the above, as residents of the area, our members feel that the proposed siting of the car park would be a security risk and may well encourage car crime and vandalism in the village. 

Theresa May MP has given cookham.com permission to reproduce this letter that she has been sending to constituents who have been writing to her about Marsh Meadow Car Park Plans.

Thank you very much for  getting in touch with me about the proposals by The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, to develop a car park at Marsh Meadow, Cookham, Maidenhead.

I share your deep concern at the impact that such a development would have on the local environment, given the pleasure it continues to bring to many residents and visitors alike and the fame which attaches to this local beauty spot.

I have written to the Director of Planning to register my objection to this development and I have also written to the Highways Directorate, asking for an explanation of the basis of the proposal. I have also written to The National Trust, regarding the proposed access road across Cookham Moor.

I shall write to you again as soon as I have further news. In the meantime, I shall not let this matter out of my sight.  

THE NATIONAL TRUST REGIONAL - PRESS RELEASE

The National Trust have kindly permitted Cookham.com to print the following press release that they have issued

The existing car park on Cookham Moor was created by the Trust about 30 years ago to prevent random parking on the Moor, and primarily for visitors wanting to walk beside the river up to Cockmarsh.  

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead first approached the Trust in 1998 with some initial ideas for creating a new car park in Marsh Meadow, as they felt the existing site was both too small and remote to adequately serve the village of Cookham.  

The Council subsequently presented proposals for an access route across the existing car park or alternatively a route utilising the existing agricultural right of way in the middle of the Moor.   Both schemes were considered by the Trust's Maidenhead & Cookham Commons Local Advisory Committee in November 1999 and the latter route was rejected because it was regarded as unacceptable to bisect the Moor.  

No formal request has been made to the Trust for the granting of a specific right of access, but if it were to be then the scheme would be referred to the Trust's Regional and Head Office Committees.  

Although the Moor will benefit if the existing car park is removed, the Trust's Committees will want to take into account all relevant factors including alternative access routes to the Marsh Meadow site, alternative sites, how effectively the preferred scheme meets the various parking requirements, the views of the local community and the overall impact on the setting of, and the views to and from, the village and Marsh Meadow.

In the meantime, the Trust's staff will be meeting the Leader of the Council and Head of Planning to discuss the matter further later in August.

THE NATIONAL TRUST - HEAD OFFICE

....The National Trust is disappointed that the Royal Borough of Windsor and, Maidenhead has published a planning application for the car park in Marsh Meadow. The proposed access route across the Cookham Moor has been rejected previously by the Trust. 

In May 1998 the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead approached the National Trust to discuss the idea of siting a new car park in Marsh Meadow, thereby making it possible to close the existing National Trust car park on Cookham Moor. The National Trust welcomed this scheme as long as it was in the interests of the people of Cookham and an access route could be agreed. 

On 30 November 1999 the planners presented a set of plans to the Maidenhead and Cookham Commons Local Committee. The National Trust officers and the Committee firmly rejected the suggested route across the middle of Cookham Moor, which would be visually intrusive and bisect the Moor. The alternative route, using part of the existing NT car park, would allow much of the Moor to be returned to grassland. This was acceptable to the Committee subject to sight of the planning application prior to its submission. 

To date the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has not given the Committee the opportunity to see the planning application that proposes the route they have firmly rejected. As well as requiring agreement from the Maidenhead and Cookham Commons Local Committee, use of National Trust land for public purpose needs approval from the NT Regional Committee, and will have to be presented to the National Properties and Executive Committees, and finally to the National Trust Council. 

I have passed on your comments to the Director for our Thames and Chilterns Region. Thank you for supporting the National Trust. I hope this letter has helped to reassure you that the Trust is not in favour of the plans as they presently stand. 

ROYAL BOROUGH OF WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD

Cookham.com would like to thank the Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council for allowing us to reproduce copies of the Baptie Plans for the proposed Marsh Meadow Car Park.