View another side to the multi-storeys
On Saturday I had a hand-delivered letter put through my letterbox by a concerned fellow Fotherby Court resident. They were looking for people to object to the proposed building of an eight-storey block of flats where the Spiritualist Church currently stands down by the railway off York Road. The letter details the eight permissible grounds for objection:
Loss of light, overlooking/loss of privacy, adequacy of parking, highway safety, traffic generation, noise and disturbance, loss of trees, nature conservation.
When the Countryside development was at the planning stage these exact same objections were raised and were summarily brushed aside. That means in the very near future those of us at the York Road end of Fotherby Court face the delights of an eightstorey block rising up outside our back gardens.
In the meantime, the green light was given to a Shanly Homes eight-storey block development next door on the spot currently occupied by the St John Ambulance building.
Should approval be given this latest building will complete ‘the row’. Given how previous objections were dismissed I see little hope of this plan being knocked back.
Apparently these Shanly creations will all be ‘unaffordable’ and will provide parking for only half of the residences. Unaffordable to me means only for people with lots of money. People with lots of money to me means people with cars. Quite likely more than one car per ‘household’. So, that’ll work well then. One of the councillors when quizzed about the lack of parking did
provide one of the great comedy moments. ‘We’re hoping people will car share’. Classic !
Meanwhile, on the Nicholson’s Centre redevelopment front I notice the Areli spokesman justified the proposed reduction in car parking spaces by saying the existing car park ‘rarely gets full’. And there was I thinking the big idea was to make Maidenhead Town Centre such an attraction people coming from far and wide would be flocking here. But, of course, they’ll be coming by bus, train, bike and on foot as you do when you go shopping.
It was also interesting to read that 60% of people voted for the proposed 25 storey building. I’m assuming that was three of five people, two of which read it as 2.5 storeys.
Anyone who thinks that a 25-storey building in the centre of town doesn’t sound so bad should go and stand next to the eight-storey monstrosities on York Road and then consider the new ‘Burj Khalifa’ will be over three times as high !
Beam me up Scotty ...
ROGER TULL Fotherby Court
Maidenhead