The RBWM public consultation on their Local Plan is underway as of 10th January 2104 until 7th March 2014.
RBWM have identified for possible development two areas of GreenBelt near Holyport.
The snapshots below are from the RBWM's Edge of Settlement Analysis, and show the RBWM "logic" that has brought them to the conclusion that these GreenBelt areas may be developed unless the response to the consultation gives sufficient weight to the opposite view.
The full document and others associated with the Consultation can be accessed here:
RBWM have identified for possible development two areas of GreenBelt near Holyport.
The snapshots below are from the RBWM's Edge of Settlement Analysis, and show the RBWM "logic" that has brought them to the conclusion that these GreenBelt areas may be developed unless the response to the consultation gives sufficient weight to the opposite view.
The full document and others associated with the Consultation can be accessed here:
The following button downloads a PDF document of RBWM answers to questions they think could be asked (FAQ).
On this HRA site in the pages Local Plan Consultation - Threat to Holyport GreenBelt (1) and (2), comments are shown, sent to RBWM by Andrew Cormie, criticising the RBWM assessments. See further comment in this page below, regarding Area 7A - is it a Settlement Gap?
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The map shown above right is a photo of part of a map that was supplied by RBWM to the Bray Parish Council's Neighbourhood Planning Group. The reference to "The Green Gap" is not significant for the present purpose. The four maps shown below are from the RBWM Edge of Settlement Analysis. The map above right shows the Recognised Settlement of Holyport in blue, together with (in grey) part of the Settlement of Maidenhead. From this and from the map shown below as "Map 5 Gaps between Settlements - Windsor and Maidenhead areas", we can see that on the one hand RBWM recognise that Holyport is a settlement, but for their Edge of Settlement Analysis they fail to recognise it.
It is important to recognise the concept that there are differing ways of describing housing areas. In the Settlement Analysis RBWM have defined the settlement of Maidenhead, and it includes the grey area above, which is therefore NOT Holyport. But RBWM define Area 7A as "Land west of Holyport - Area between Ascot Road and Holyport Road". But that is wrong - it is land to the North-East of Holyport. Houses in Holyport Road, Stompits Road, Springfield Park, Aysgarth Park etc are in Maidenhead, not Holyport.
That erroneous concept used by RBWM is also used by them to claim that Holyport is coalescing with Bray Wick. In fact the grey area above is neither Holyport nor Bray Wick, it is Maidenhead.
In "Map 6 Local Gaps - Ascot (as identified in the Proposed Neighbourhood Plan)" shown below, RBWM highlight Gaps between Settlements that have been proposed by the relevant Neighbourhood Plan, and RBWM have stated that these gaps will not be built on because they are Settlement Gaps. RBWM letter of 10th Jan 2014 shown in "Threat to Holyport Area Green Belt (1)" refers.
We might well ask why it is that the Bray Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan has not made sufficient progress to identify to RBWM that Area 7A is a Settlement Gap. Perhaps the Bray Parish Council would care to comment?
In one of the first letters about Neighbourhood Planning sent by Bray Parish Council to RBWM they stated as follows about Area 7A;
"In return for allowing some mixed housing development in the proposal area covering the fields south of Aysgarth Park we would want the landowner / developer to donate some land for community use with the suggestion the Holyport Primary School is moved there. In addition other community facilities could also be included such as a doctor’s surgery and possibly a community Hall. With careful layout and additional green spaces, this would consolidate all the community services and provide a new centre for the village."
Worth noting here that the leader of the Topic Group that proposed that is now a Bray Parish Councillor for Fifield. (What business has a Fifield area resident have to propose that development take place in the Holyport Area?)
Subsequently on 17th November 2012, after the intentions for Area 7A of Beaulieu Homes were made known, and 100's of Holyport Area residents had swamped in protest a Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan meeting, a further letter was sent by Bray Parish Council to RBWM where they said;
"As you are aware, in March 2012 the BPNP was in the early stages of Neighbourhood Planning and had not then had the benefit of hearing local resident’s views as part of their participation in recent BPNP workshop meetings. As a result of these workshops the BPNP now has a clear indication of the strength of feeling amongst Bray Parish residents that Bray Parish Green Belt is inviolable except in special circumstances where there is significant community support and benefit.
The BPNP will therefore have as one of its key policies that any developments on any land in the Parish that is in the green belt, such as the aforementioned land or parts of it, should only take place if there is a significant community benefit and a majority of those living in the area have voted for the proposed development at a specially convened consultation meeting as part of any planning application."
So what will Bray Parish Council now do to correct this problem? We hear that BPC will be producing information for residents about the Local Plan consultation. We look forward to it!!!
The "Map 7 Heritage Assets" from the RBWM Analysis is displayed below and shows the Conservation Area of Holyport (which has a different boundary from the Recognised Settlement of Holyport, but its boundary adjacent to Area 7A is practically the same as that of the Recognised Settlement of Holyport). This map clearly displays that there is a gap between the settlement of Maidenhead and the Recognised Settlement of Holyport, having the same boundary here as does the Conservation Area.
Finally the "Map 10 - Stage 2: pass and reject - Maidenhead" shows that for the convoluted reasoning described in the aforementioned RBWM letter Area 7A has not been recognised as a Settlement Gap, and is promoted for housing.
I will write more in my BLOG page about how I will personally respond to the RBWM consultation. Residents of the Holyport Area should all respond to make their views known.
It is important to recognise the concept that there are differing ways of describing housing areas. In the Settlement Analysis RBWM have defined the settlement of Maidenhead, and it includes the grey area above, which is therefore NOT Holyport. But RBWM define Area 7A as "Land west of Holyport - Area between Ascot Road and Holyport Road". But that is wrong - it is land to the North-East of Holyport. Houses in Holyport Road, Stompits Road, Springfield Park, Aysgarth Park etc are in Maidenhead, not Holyport.
That erroneous concept used by RBWM is also used by them to claim that Holyport is coalescing with Bray Wick. In fact the grey area above is neither Holyport nor Bray Wick, it is Maidenhead.
In "Map 6 Local Gaps - Ascot (as identified in the Proposed Neighbourhood Plan)" shown below, RBWM highlight Gaps between Settlements that have been proposed by the relevant Neighbourhood Plan, and RBWM have stated that these gaps will not be built on because they are Settlement Gaps. RBWM letter of 10th Jan 2014 shown in "Threat to Holyport Area Green Belt (1)" refers.
We might well ask why it is that the Bray Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan has not made sufficient progress to identify to RBWM that Area 7A is a Settlement Gap. Perhaps the Bray Parish Council would care to comment?
In one of the first letters about Neighbourhood Planning sent by Bray Parish Council to RBWM they stated as follows about Area 7A;
"In return for allowing some mixed housing development in the proposal area covering the fields south of Aysgarth Park we would want the landowner / developer to donate some land for community use with the suggestion the Holyport Primary School is moved there. In addition other community facilities could also be included such as a doctor’s surgery and possibly a community Hall. With careful layout and additional green spaces, this would consolidate all the community services and provide a new centre for the village."
Worth noting here that the leader of the Topic Group that proposed that is now a Bray Parish Councillor for Fifield. (What business has a Fifield area resident have to propose that development take place in the Holyport Area?)
Subsequently on 17th November 2012, after the intentions for Area 7A of Beaulieu Homes were made known, and 100's of Holyport Area residents had swamped in protest a Bray Parish Neighbourhood Plan meeting, a further letter was sent by Bray Parish Council to RBWM where they said;
"As you are aware, in March 2012 the BPNP was in the early stages of Neighbourhood Planning and had not then had the benefit of hearing local resident’s views as part of their participation in recent BPNP workshop meetings. As a result of these workshops the BPNP now has a clear indication of the strength of feeling amongst Bray Parish residents that Bray Parish Green Belt is inviolable except in special circumstances where there is significant community support and benefit.
The BPNP will therefore have as one of its key policies that any developments on any land in the Parish that is in the green belt, such as the aforementioned land or parts of it, should only take place if there is a significant community benefit and a majority of those living in the area have voted for the proposed development at a specially convened consultation meeting as part of any planning application."
So what will Bray Parish Council now do to correct this problem? We hear that BPC will be producing information for residents about the Local Plan consultation. We look forward to it!!!
The "Map 7 Heritage Assets" from the RBWM Analysis is displayed below and shows the Conservation Area of Holyport (which has a different boundary from the Recognised Settlement of Holyport, but its boundary adjacent to Area 7A is practically the same as that of the Recognised Settlement of Holyport). This map clearly displays that there is a gap between the settlement of Maidenhead and the Recognised Settlement of Holyport, having the same boundary here as does the Conservation Area.
Finally the "Map 10 - Stage 2: pass and reject - Maidenhead" shows that for the convoluted reasoning described in the aforementioned RBWM letter Area 7A has not been recognised as a Settlement Gap, and is promoted for housing.
I will write more in my BLOG page about how I will personally respond to the RBWM consultation. Residents of the Holyport Area should all respond to make their views known.
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