Build on brownfield, not on ‘green lungs’

I am writing to object in the strongest possible terms about the proposed development of 2,000 new homes on Maidenhead Golf Course.

The vast majority of Maidenhead residents are strongly opposed to these plans, yet in spite of this, the council appear to be adamant that this development will go ahead. The depth of feeling among residents was clearly evident at the protest outside the Town Hall last week, and it was estimated that between 300-400 people attended.

Should this very unpopular proposed development go ahead, this would be a direct contradiction of the council’s own environmental policy which states: “The role of the natural environment in creating great places is critical to the success of the borough economy and to our residents’ health and wellbeing, and therefore it is important we take steps to protect it .”

In view of this statement I remain at a total loss to understand how the council can possibly justify this proposed development going ahead.

The former lead member for planning, Derek Wilson, came up with the description of MGC as ‘the green lungs of Maidenhead’.

With the large number of new homes planned for the centre of Maidenhead, the preservation of ‘the green lungs of Maidenhead’ becomes even more impor tant.

It would appear that due to the woeful state of the borough’s finances, which are understood to be approaching a quarter of a billion pounds in debt by the end of the year, the main reason driving this development is the huge profits that the council stands to gain from it.

This cannot possibly be used as justification for the proposed development to go ahead.

A new development of 2,000 homes would be the equivalent of a small town, or large village.

The current infrastructure of the town, particularly in terms of the existing road network, is simply incapable of sustaining the additional volume of traffic that would result.

The deleterious effect that this will have on air quality does not even bear thinking about.

Why has the council not even explored Derek Wilson’s proposal that a satellite village could be built outside the town?

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently stated that ‘beautiful’ homes should in future only be built ‘on brownfield sites in places where homes make sense’.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has indicated recently that he is preparing to review controversial housing targets that have triggered a backlash from Tory backbench MPs and grassroots suppor ters.

He said that he is looking at how

‘housing need’ is calculated, amid concerns that it is based on out-of-date assumptions.

Once the review on how housing need is calculated is completed, it is anticipated that the number of new homes required to be built in Maidenhead will be significantly reduced.

Mr Gove added that communities should be able to push back against large scale housing targets near to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and greenbelt land.

This is precisely what the residents of Maidenhead are trying to do.

JOHN HUDSON Rushington Avenue

Maidenhead