Understand what we are set to lose
On December 21 our council has scheduled an extraordinary full council meeting to consider whether or not to adopt the Borough Local Plan (BLP). [Editor's note – this has since been cancelled, see p3]
The plan sets out how our council will accommodate development in our town.
It runs from 2013 to 2033, and allocates over 16,000 new homes, including 2,000 on the greenbelt land of the golf course.
It is currently going through the final stages with the planning inspector, who will decide whether or not the plan is sound.
In last week’s Viewpoint (December 2), Councillor Coppinger stated that concerns about the development of the golf course had only ‘relatively recently’ been raised. This is not true.
Over 150 residents gathered at a meeting at SportsAble in March 2017 alarmed by the inclusion of the golf course for development in the BLP.
The Braywick Action Group formed and joined with 12 other groups from across the Borough under the umbrella of the RBWM Residents Action Group (RRAG), to make representations throughout the BLP consultation process.
Anyone who regularly reads the Maidenhead Advertiser will know there have been dozens of articles reporting on opposition to plans to build on the golf course, as well as a large number of letters.
Residents are concerned about the scale of the development, its impact on our infrastructure and environment, the destruction of our greenbelt and our council’s handling of the BLP process.
The fact that Councillor Coppinger seems to be unaware of the long standing strength of feeling against the development of the golf course, highlights our council’s inability to listen to residents.
Early in 2020, the Maidenhead Great
Park group formed to raise awareness of the golf course land and the value of this space for our community – for wildlife, trees, mental and physical health, and as a green lung.
We believe it is vital that the people of Maidenhead understand how much they are set to lose if the BLP is adopted, and how the scale of the development planned will change the character of our town forever.
If the BLP is adopted, it will give our council permission to sell the golf course land to its development partner CALA Homes.
This land was bought by our council in 1953 to keep it as open space.
We are urging our councillors to reject the BLP when it comes to full council for adoption.
We want them to come up with a new plan that puts our environment and community first, uses up-to-date figures on housing need and focuses any necessary development on brownfield sites.
TINA QUADRINO (St Mark’s Road), DEBBIE LUDFORD (Rushington Avenue), Cllr GEOFF HILL (TBF, Oldfield) On behalf of Maidenhead Great Park