Very shortly people will be putting a flyer through your door with a sample letter (please see below), it will carry more weight if the letter is in your own words and your reasons, so please do try to vary it as the sample letter is a very rought format. If you cannot e-mail your comments or post a letter don't worry, you letter can be collected and the group will ensure that it is photocopied twice, so that three copies can be forwarded for you.
Other suggested reasons for objecting are shown below.
Please note that if you would like to speak at the Inquiry then please put this in your letter but there is a possibility that you may be cross examined by Blue Living's barrister.
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Notes on the Appeal Process
- You can e-mail your comments direct to the relevant Planning Appeals Case Officer at this address: leanne.palmer@pins.gsi.gov.uk BUTuyou must quote APP/W0340/A/10/2133957/NWF - the appeal reference in the subject heading or at the top of your e-mail text only one copy needed. However, this e-mail address is different to the instructions given in the letter from West Berks. You can still access the Planning Portal website if you want to leave your comments that way, but the writer complained that the procedure was very complicated, so it has been agreed that a much simpler but equally effective way of leaving comments, is direct to Leanne's direct e-mail address.
- Don't forget to mention what the appeal is about, such as the address. (Pincents Hill)
- Alternatively you can write with the same reference number but you have to send 3 copies of your letter whereas only 1 e-mail is needed. The address is:
The Planning Inspectorate,
Temple Quay House,
3/21 The Square,
Temple Quay
Bristol BS1 6PN.
Your comments may include your name, address, e-mail address or phone number. You may request a receipt for your letter and are entitle to make representations and attend the Inquiry and state your views. However this is at the discretion of the Inspector.
Reasons for objections (Summary) in descending order of success factors
a) Is it building on green field space?
b) Turned down by Planning Committee – examine and quote the reasons
c) Is it out of Character with the area?
d) Is it building on private green space that adds to a feeling of spaciousness and amenity recreation use?
e) Is traffic access dangerous/inadequate?
f) Will the development encourage on-street parking especially in adjacent roads – existing residents already threatened with permits to park outside their homes?
g) Loss of wildlife corridor
h) Loss of Strategic Gap between villages of Theale, Calcot and Tilehurst thereby resulting in loss of identity and merging into large urban complex
i) This area of land not included in the Local Development Plan.
j) Some local bus services axed and incorrect assumptions on walking times and distances to Rail Stations.
k) Demolition and destruction of part of ancient hedgerows and many mature trees, loss of valuable habitat to flora and fauna with may protected species (badgers (believed to be one of the biggest groups of sets in the area), pipistrel bats, slow worms, moths, red kites, yellow hammers not to mention deer, foxes, voles and field mice) and it is not known exactly how many other threatened species there are.
l) The development as drawn would even by CABE’s standards (this is the Government’s architectural advisory body) not integrate with the rest of the area, virtually making it a ghetto.
Reasons that are worth mentioning
a) Impact on traffic –the council has to take account of cumulative effect! (Bath Road, reached saturation point – City Road – impact on schools and possible injury to children.
b) Inadequate education provisions for secondary school children as existing schools over subscribed.
c) Generally any development stretches health facilities in hospitals, water facilities in the area (Thames Water have stated that they cannot provide full pressure water to the development).
Reasons that carry no weight
a) Density of buildings – there is no limit to the number of dwellings per hectare.
b) Lack of parking spaces carries no weight if public transport services are good (definition 20 minutes to town centre). Maximum is 1.5 spaces per dwelling.
Features that make it exceptionally difficult to refuse
If the development offers affordable housing they must offer affordable housing of at least 35% in number houses.
If you need more information on planning appeals please visit ww
www.westberks.gov.uk/planningappeals
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Update on Village Green
24th August 2010
At the moment there is no news on the Village Green Application - it would seem that the Inspector has not yet completed his report. It would appear that the Report and recommendation will not be available until early/mid September. The legal department of West Berks then prepares a precis of the report which is forwarded to "the Executive" - (not the Chief Executive) who make a decision whether to grant Village Green status to Pincents Hill or not. So it would appear that we have another 5/6 weeks to wait for the outcome. Blue Living are extremely confident that our application was a total waste of time, Council Tax money and that we are definitely going lose and said so in the local press. The writer fears that although it wasn't a waste of time, they could very well be right, there is a slim hope that they could be wrong. We will update the website as soon as we have any further news.
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AFTER REFUSAL OF BLUE LIVING’S PLANNING APPLICATION
Blue Living has 6 months from 26th February to lodge an Appeal (26th August 2010) against West Berks' decision to turn down their Planning Application. They are banking on a change of Government to get their Eco-town passed on Appeal. They are probably covering their options by firstly getting the Village Green Hearing out of the way, because it is pointless pursuing the course of a planning application if they can't build on the land, so if the Village Green application fails it is probable that they will go to Appeal on their current Planning Application to build on Pincents Hill. They could still lose at Appeal, in which case it is very likely they will try again with another Planning Application.
If we win on the Village Green, a very big if, they have said they will then go to Appeal on the Village Green - then if they win that, they will then resubmit their planning application and we start all over again. We will face that when we have to but it is very doubtful that they will be able to build anything this year, so we have gained a little time.
We need more letters and photos, the letters to show 20 years or more use, to say how long you have lived at your current address and if you have moved in that 20 year period, where you were before. That you used the land because you thought you had the right to do so, what you used it for (walking with or without dogs, sports, jogging, kite flying, etc.) and the three main conditions for proof that it can be made into a Village Green are that it was used:-
- without force
- without secrecy; and
- without permission.
Any help with proof of use is much appreciated. The e-mail address or postal address to send them to is at the bottom of this page.
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.At a GREN meeting at the Methodist Church in Tilehurst all four political parties supported opposing Blue Living's Planning Application, indeed Alok Sharma tonight pledged his continued support in this fight. He was very vehement that Blue Living will not succeed in building their Eco-Town on Pincents Hill, he is a lot more confident than the writer. It is to be sincerely hoped that he is proved right. Thank you Alok; perhaps the writer is a lot more cynical about planning issues but very grateful for all your help with the printing and distribution of flyers, etc.. Both Naz Sarkar and Martin Salter are also against this development too, as a group we are grateful for all the support that has been given, especially by the members of the general public - a Big Thank You to everyone, we couldn't have achieved the result we have without you.
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UPDATE ON PINCENTS HILL
Residents 1 Blue Living 0
On Wednesday 24th February the Eastern Area Planning Area refused Planning Consent for Blue Living Application - unanimously. We honestly thought that West Berks would decide in Blue Living's favour. We are very glad to be proved wrong.
Although having achieved a very big milestone in this campaign to prevent Blue Living from building on Pincents Hill, it is only one step in what is going to be a very long fight. Blue Living unfortunately are not going to pack up and go away - they have invested too much time and money to do that. The Save Calcot Action Group anticipate that there are two ways that Blue Living could go. Firstly, they could go straight to Appeal but there are 18 policies of both West Berks and the South East Plan tht are contravened by this application and they will still have to prove that this application outweights all the objections. Secondly they could withdraw this application and start again. However, before they can do that, they have the hurdle of the Village Green Application to overcome.
The Village Green Application is due to be heard at Pincents Manor Hotel the last two weeks in June Tuesdays to Fridays and if any one has any photographs that they could either e-mail to the link on this or the SaveCalcot websites showing people using Pincents Hill for walking, jogging in fact any legal amenity act or letters stating that you have used Pincents Hill for recreation use, specially appreciated would be letters from people who have used the land for 20 years or more, but any letters are appreciated. We would be grateful - we need your help.
Thank you to all members of the general public who have supported us, please keep doing that as we are working to preserve our much treasured bit of the countryside. We owe a big debt of gratitude to theofficers of West Berks who have had to work between a rock and a hard place, and also we must thank our local councillors who we doubt ever had to preside over such a difficult and we suspect "different" Planning Meeting. We never expected to hear such a slanderous and derogatory attack from Blue Living's representative towards the Committee. We should thank him for convincing the Committee to unanimously vote against BL's Planning Application.
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IT CAN STILL BE BUILT ON
IN SPITE OF BEING LEFT OUT OF THE LDF
'We would like to correct the assumption that because Pincents Hill has been left out of the draft LDF it cannot be built on. This is nonsense, firstly, there is now a six week consultation period on the draft which can be altered, secondly once the proposed LDF is forwarded to the Secretary of State it could also be amended to include Pincents Hill in the final version.
Blue Living's Planning Application is pending on Pincents Hill and this has to be heard and could well be approved and even if it isn’t, it could still go to Appeal and be granted. West Berks Planning Committee and various other bodies will be making a site inspection on Wednesday 17th February at 09.30. We would urge as many people to visit the area at this time to show how well used this area is.
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So the fight must go on –
so please attend
THE PLANNING MEETING ON 24th FEBRUARY
AT LITTLE HEATH SCHOOL AT 6.30 PM
Also as a Group we owe a debt of gratitude to Martin Salter who has been and is still fighting in our corner, thank you Martin and also many thanks to Alok Sharma. Martin for firstly bringing the group together, getting us started and encouraging us and secondly to Alok for all his help and support and attending the Group meetings. They are still very much supporting the residents and deserve all the accolades in this fight not to mention our own committee who has worked so hard. We would hope that the continuing support by all parties is politically non partisan and given freely as a sign of truly and truthfully representing the local residents which is surely the purpose of seeking public office.
The application for Village Green status is to be heard in March and we need proof of the use of Pincents Hill by the local residents other than letters of support by which we assume that photos, videos, proof of activities, etc are needed. If anyone has copies of anything they would allow us to use could you please e-mail Joan Lawrie Joanjlawrie@aol.com or post or deliver to: Joan Lawrie, c/o Tilehurst Parish Council, Highview (off Royal Avenue), Calcot, Reading Berks RG31 4XD office hours 9 - 3.30pm
Further updates can be viewed on our websites www.savecalcot.co.uk and www.savepincentshill.co.uk,
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