[HTS-members] Bishop Centre

[Karl Lawrence]

See the attached front page of the Burnham Advertiser.

 

I attended in the Public Gallery at the Taplow Parish Council meeting on
Tuesday.

 

During the pre-meeting opportunity for members of the public to ask
questions and to express opinions,  I gave each Councillor a copy of the
email I sent on April 1st    (copy below) to our MP, Dominic Grieve, asking
for his support in asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local
Communities to refuse the Bishop Centre Planning Application.

 

I asked for the Taplow Parish Council to email in similar terms to our MP
and to the Secretary of State.  

 

Karl Lawrence

Chairman, Hitcham and Taplow Society 

 

 

 

 

Dear Dominic

 

Re : The Bishop Centre, Taplow : Planning Application 11/01625/FUL

 

I write as Chairman of the Hitcham and Taplow Society with a membership of
150 households.

 

Our District Councillor George Sandy advises that the South Bucks District
Council has referred Land Securities Planning Application 11 /01265/FUL to
the Secretary of State for consideration because it does not conform to the
several policy statements brought together in Core Policy 11 : Healthy and
Viable Town and Village Centres of its adopted Core Strategy. 

 

The Society and the Taplow residents who objected to the application ask
that you urge the Secretary to carry out a comprehensive review of all the
documentation before reaching his decision. It is our strong belief that
then he will conclude that the Council Officers recommendation to refuse the
application is the correct one. 

 

With other members of the Society, I read all of the 1000 plus pages of the
application documents and the 140 plus unsolicited letters of objection
received by the Council.

 

An email questionnaire to members of the Society brought an 87% 'NO'
response to the question "Is there a need for another supermarket in our
locality" and an 85% 'YES' response to the question "Are you concerned at
the increase in traffic there will be on the A4 and local roads".

 

An independent Retail Assessment reinforced the combined strength of the
objections of The Crown Estate, the Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough Borough
Councils, the Slough Trading Estate, Irish Life Investment Managers and ING
Real Estates. 

 

The Society's detailed analysis of the traffic data supported by regular A4
users' anecdotal experience was contrary to the conclusions of the
applicant, but an independent traffic assessment was not commissioned.

 

The proposed US style strip shopping mall is against the Coalition
Government Initiative led by Mary Portas to reinvigorate the national High
Streets and it will demolish a long-established unique 'village' of small
locally owned shops.

 

The proposed retail enterprises are likely to generate a work force which
will commute to the location and the present employment opportunities for
local residents will be lost.

 

The size, extent and design of the proposed buildings will have a
significant impact on the green belt

 

Against the recommendation of a comprehensive detailed report by its
Officers for refusal, the Council Planning Committee decided to approve this
application by a single vote.

 

It is a perplexing and disturbing decision. Several Councillors have
admitted to not having read even the Executive Summary submitted with the
application and there is a perception that others had not read the key
documents. 

 

It is reasonable to infer that the rather large sums of money offered by
Land Securities for various purposes to both Taplow and Burnham parishes had
a significant influence although properly unrelated to consideration of
planning applications.

 

If you wish to have more information,the Society has an exhaustive file of
documents relating to the application.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Karl Lawrence

 

Chairman, Hitcham and Taplow Society

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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