This green land was a given to us as a gift

In the Advertiser of September 16 we learned about the council’s offer of £16million to the MGC for the land which will be used to build 2,600 homes.

This is against the wishes of over 4,448 residents expressed in a petition set up by the ‘Maidenhead Great Park’ campaign to save this magnificent green space in our town which was originally gifted to us and whose voices have been ignored.

And it seems that the members of the golf club did not give up the land willingly.

Cllr Geoffrey Hill is quoted as confirming that ‘The borough and the Conservative group held a big gun to golf club members’ heads in terms of a compulsory purchase order which would have plunged them into a very expensive legal battle’.

On page 6 of this same edition of the paper we read that another wonderful amenity in our town, the Norden Farm Arts Centre is once more in serious jeopardy due to the council’s decision to reduce the funding the centre has received from the council since its opening in 2000.

Those who benefit hugely from the activities organised include everyone living here from babes-in-arms to the elderly right across the social spectrum.

£16million would go a long way to keeping Norden Farm running.

According to Richard Norden’s letter on p20 of that edition of the paper: ‘The council is currently launching a public survey on what they can do to encourage more cycling and pedestrians in town.’

Surveys cost money; surely the members of the council can come to conclusions themselves using their own powers of research and thinking and not having to waste precious funds from our council tax engaging others to do that for them.

We read of one survey after another being commissioned by them.

So this is the calibre of those we’ve elected to run our town for the benefit of the citizens: they are forcefully acquiring a beautiful green space which will be concreted over despite their stated intention of considering climate change in all they do; they are reneging on a commitment to provide us with another important facility which offers so much for the mental health and well-being of our community; and they hand over funds to survey companies to answer such simple questions as ‘what they can do to encourage more cycling and pedestrians in the town.’

The Maidenhead Great Park group promises to continue to oppose the council’s plan for the Golf Club land and will be organising a series of events and campaigns to oppose it.

The people of Maidenhead have the opportunity to support them as forcefully as possible and they can also take every opportunity to support Norden Farm which is rallying against the economic blows of both COVID and council cuts.

We need to put up a fight to preserve some of the important advantages of our town.

TESS MARSH St Marks Crescent

Maidenhead