Reserve Sites - Terriers Farm, Abbey Barn North & South, Gomm Valley & Ashwells, Slate Meadow A chance for you all to contribute You are probably all aware by now (see note below) that WDCs Cabinet decided at their meeting on 20 October to release the five above-mentioned reserve sites for development, mainly for housing, and they confirmed this decision on 17 November following a recommendation from the Councils Improvement and Review Commission to reconsider the matter. WDC is therefore now embarking on the process of consulting the public on these issues, and as a first step, they are holding five all-day Saturday workshops about these sites. (Abbey Barn North and South will have a single workshop, but there will also be an additional event on infrastructure covering matters like transport links, schools, health provision etc.) They are very keen to take as many views as possible at these meetings, and we too, in the Planning Group, would encourage all of you, members and contacts alike, to attend the meeting for any site that is close to you. The events run from 10am to 4.30pm. If you wish to attend one of them, please email [email protected] or contact Riccardo Bobisse (click to see him) of the consultants AR Urbanism (experts on Master Planning) on 0203 290 8979. It is very unlikely that there will be a shortage of space but you are asked to book beforehand. Gomm Valley and Ashwells– Saturday 31st January – Highcrest Academy, Hatters Lane Terriers Farm – Saturday 7th February – Holy Trinity Church in Hazlemere Abbey Barn South and Abbey Barn North – Saturday 28th February – John Hampden School, High Wycombe High Wycombe – infrastructure – Saturday 7th March – Bucks New University, High Wycombe Slate Meadow – Saturday 14th March – Community Centre, Bourne End See also the attached poster. Dont worry if you feel you are not an expert. These events are well-run and you will receive all the background you need. The usual format is that those attending are split into tables of 8-10 where there is a free-flowing discussion on a series of questions. One person at the table (it wont have to be you!) then tells the meeting as a whole what your conclusions and concerns are, for all to share, and for the Council to learn. I assume that some sort of refreshment will be provided at lunch-time. The aim is to provide input to a planning brief which will tell the developers how the site should be laid out, what important features (trees and other natural features) should be retained and other key parameters. For each site, a small Liaison Group has also been set up which will meet at intervals throughout the period of the development. Our Society has secured a place on each of the Groups except Slate Meadow. Our representatives are: Terriers Farm: Andy Cole Abbey Barn N & S: Andrew Taylor Gomm Valley/Ashwells: Chris Woodman Please send any feedback you may have on Terriers Farm to Andy at cole.andrew@btopenworld, or to me [email protected] for the other ones. We will go over all the comments we receive at one of our Planning Group meetings. Best wishes to all Chris Woodman Planning Group Note: Extract from Planning This Quarter in our Winter 2014 Newsletter: Local Plan and the Reserve Sites. Since the publication of the Autumn Newsletter, and after further consideration of all the data, the Group reluctantly decided it had no alternative but to accept WDCs argument that, if they did not willingly release the five reserve housing sites (Abbey Barn North and South, Terriers Farm, Gomm Valley & Ashwells, and Slate Meadow, Bourne End), the various developers would submit planning applications and, if refused, would win their appeals. The Council would then lose control over the conditions to be imposed on site layout, landscaping and infrastructure. On 20th October WDCs Cabinet took the fateful decision and were greeted by cries of dismay from all around the District. In response to a properly constituted and supported request by Councillor Trevor Snaith and other LibDem, Labour and Independent Councillors, the decision was duly called in for review by the Councils curiously named Improvement and Review Commission, who by a series of close votes on 12th November decided to ask WDCs Cabinet to think again. They met on Monday 17th November and confirmed their original decision. Opt out? If you would like to be removed from our distribution list for emails such as this, please reply to this email with unsubscribe as the title.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:59:28 +0000
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