MAY ‘MEADOW’ MADNESS!

The three day appeal process was not enough! – The Taylor Wimpey legal team’s protracted performance ensured their objective in having the Inspector arrange for a further hearing.

It was nail biting stuff – the public gallery was full of local residents, friends and neighbours – some came for an hour and stayed for the day! – Some came for all three days. 

It was very tense. The Mole Valley team gave their evidence first followed by the Action Group specialists. Outstanding were the presentations by local resident specialists. Dr Debbie Aston on possible flooding and ground water issues; Dr Craig Turner on Ecology and the environment followed by James Friend, our councillor, on more environmental issues including impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Finally, on the third day, Humfrey Malins gave an eloquently delivered speech upon all the concerns of us in the Village should this application be approved.

The Inspector’s walkabout on the Friday was well attended by residents and we are sure he will have experienced the traffic conflict in Westcott Street and Balchins Lane. He also took the opportunity to inspect the site and adjacent listed farmhouse.

Onward!

The Inquiry reconvenes on Thursday 22^nd and Friday 23^rd March and, again, we really need a good attendance.

We have been told that it is important for us to show the Planning Inspector the strength of the opposition to Taylor Wimpey's plans, and that therefore we should have plenty of support in the Public Gallery, for as much of the Inquiry as possible.  The Public Gallery seats about 50 people.

We are setting up a rota to get ourselves organised.  Please come and support us, so that we can make a good showing.  Please contact westcottmeadow@gmail.com to let us know when you can come, or phone 01306 885534.  We believe that the inquiry will run from 9.30am to 1pm and 2 pm to 4.30 pm each day.

Taylor Wimpey has now (29 April 2011) submitted a further (ammended June 2011) planning application for 14 houses, including 43 car parking spaces. (View the documents here) There is a clear indication from the village that no housing development is wanted nor needed in this part of Westcott and as such the residents of Westcott will need to act together once again to fight for The Meadow.

The objections to any kind of housing  development on the Meadow still remain.

1. Westcott  cannot sustain any further traffic, this has been further proven recently with the traffic trauma and chaos that has resulted from the housing development in The Pound.

2. Biodiversity in The Meadow must be preserved.The meadow has an abundance of flora and fauna for all to enjoy.

3. The character of the village must be retained, not re-defined.

4. The Natural views and public amenity, must not be tampered with in this area of outstanding natural beauty.

5. Although there are fewer houses, they are much bigger and the area of meadow lost is exactly the same. 

 In the March Parish Magazine Westcott local councillor, Mr James Friend, wrote “There is absolutely no way that building only executive homes on a reserve housing site can be seen to be either within the council’s development policies or within the spirit of why land is reserved in the first place. Leaving aside that the apparent proposal doesn’t address the issues that the council raised on the access point or highways impact (given the number of bedrooms overall), if the developers think that this is the only scheme that they can come up with which delivers a economic return for them, then they should come clean and just admit that housing on this land is undeliverable. ”

The Westcott Meadow Action Group, is preparing once again to fight for the Meadow and fight with the residents of Westcott against housing development on this reserve housing site in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Alternative Plans for the Meadow

In December the residents of Westcott won a unanimous approval from the Council for a Village Nature Reserve on the meadow. The approval recognises the true value of the Meadow as a natural habitat for birds, rodents, lizards and other wildlife and if and when the oppurtunity arises to push this development forward, it would provide the residents of Westcott with a natural wetland and woodland area, rather than traffic, dangerous roads and destroyed habitats.

A further alternative for the meadow is to remove it once and for all from the reserve list, and back into the greenbelt...thereby ending urban encroachment into that area. A greenbelt petition can be acessed here

The nature reserve and the greenbelt initiative however cannot begin to happen until the concept of housing development on the Meadow is defeated, and this can only happen through pressure from the residents of Westcott fighting against development on Westcott Meadow.

Westcott Says....

Yes to Nature Reserve

No to Development