Community deprived of another leisure area

To the 132 local residents who signed the petition against the development on Montem Recreation Ground, I would just like to say I am sorry, but sadly, as you may already be aware, this planning application was approved on Wednesday, January 13 at the planning committee meeting.

Despite this application breaching many of Slough Borough Council’s own policies, the committee approved it nonetheless and in doing so has deprived our community of yet another leisure facility and will cause additional pollution and traffic congestion for us all.

Montem Recreation Ground was an area which was designated for recreation for the residents of Slough (and is actually still listed on SBC website as one of four green open spaces in Chalvey).

So many leisure facilities have been decimated by Slough Borough Council:

1) The leisure centre was built on this site in 1972 to provide recreation, primarily for youngsters in the area, and funding was supported by local residents who purchased lottery tickets. At first, the prices were affordable for youngsters and then as corporate companies on the

Trading Estate block booked leisure facilities, sadly youngsters were then priced out of this sports centre. It was then demolished in 2019 and The Centre was opened in Farnham Road.

2) In 1999, Slough Cricket Club was moved from Chalvey to Upton Court Park a sad loss to the community of Chalvey.

3) In 2010 the prestigious indoor tennis centre in Salt Hill Park ceased to exist.

I cannot understand, why, despite the publicised deprivation of this area and the associated consequences experienced by Chalvey residents, are the council continuing to decimate our areas and our community?

We, in Chalvey, pay our council tax, as every other area of Slough, but we are being suffocated by overbuilding and traffic pollution and are being treated with utter contempt.

Yes, in Slough we do need more housing, but not 212 crammed homes on this site. This is not the right place for this build. With the current pandemic affecting us all, green open spaces should be preserved, not destroyed.

Give us a break, Slough Borough Council!

L HAYWARD Resident of Chalvey for 62 years