letter writing tips
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include your name and address
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keep it brief and to the point
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stick to the facts
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be polite
- avoid becoming emotional
- request a reply
- keep a copy
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New Housing - Your Say |
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Paul Newman Homes (PNH) - Valley Farm Development UPDATE - 13 August 2010
Aylesbury Vale District Council refuses permission for development - (PDF from AVDC site)
Planning Application and Decision - (Central Bedfordshire website)
Conditions or Reasons for Planning Application Refusal - (Central Bedfordshire website)
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UPDATE - 16 May 2010 Paul Newman Homes Planning Application The Leighton Buzzard Town Council held their Planning Meeting on the 12th of May chaired by David Hopkins. Paul Newman Homes was informed of the meeting; the official documents were on show, but for some reason they decided not to defend their proposal. Opinion was that they were not confident after their rebuttal at the Examination in Public, but decided to try again, as they had invested a considerable amount of money on the application. The public were invited to speak to renew their objections to this opportunist application. Tom Daley of Derwent Rd stated his opinion that the cosmetic changes did not improve the plan and Rob McAlister of LOUD supported his comments. Councilor Brian Sadler asked if South Beds Friends of the Earth had commissioned further information on the protection of Bats; the meeting was advised that we had commissioned a second report which outlined the Legal Implications that must be adopted, rather than the builder using a wait-and-see approach then reacting to what they find. They were further informed that placing Bat boxes on trees was not the answer and that the report was strong enough to make the planners think again. Details of the original and second report have been sent to the planners at AVDC and South Beds, together with our objections. In addition, SBFoE would defend their comments at the forthcoming Planning Meetings at AVDC and Central Beds Council. After listening to the objection, the Councilors were invited to give their comments: the result being a unanimous NO VOTE to Paul Newman Homes. Martin Probert (14/5/10) |
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As expected, PNH have renewed their interest in the above, after withdrawing the previous plan, citing it was done after advice from Aylesbury Vale District Councils (AVDC) Planning Officers. On March 10th 2010, AVDC discussed their Core Strategy at an Examination In Public (EIP) meeting which was attended by South Beds Friends of the Earth (SBFoE), where the areas for housing build and infrastructure had been identified but needed approval for overall suitability. The examination by Geoff Salter, Inspector, included a request from PNH that their site be added to the plan, stating exceptional circumstances that are mentioned in the South East Plan. These included insufficient allocation of land, shortage of social housing and the fact that Valley Farm was not a protected area. Salter said his task was to approve the whole of the Core Strategy and was not prepared to add an additional site which would delay the Strategy. He was surprised to find, when questioning PNH, that instead of waiting for his comments, they had slid the application in under the door. Needless to say he was not impressed, seeing it as being opportune, telling them that they must discuss it with the local planning inspector, as he was not the right person, nor was it the right meeting for this type of request. The revised plans have now been submitted, advising that after public consultation, they have answered all the objections, which should make it more acceptable!!! SBFoE are totally opposed to this to this unsustainable development, which is not even supported our own council. Detailed reports on Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure by Philip Irving and a Bat report have been re-submitted; to AVDC (responsible for the housing) and Central Beds (responsible for the access road onto Derwent Rd), which have swelled the written objections to nearly 1000 - many thanks to those who wrote and marched. Current activity is to attend The Planning Meeting at LB Town Council when we should hear/see if they are still committed to a no vote. In May/June, Planning Meetings will be held at AVDC and Central Beds, where the public can state their objections. SBFoE have been allocated a speaking opportunity at both of these, but the dates have not been agreed as yet. We are full of optimism, as there are so many logical reasons to reject this opportunist developer. Martin Probert (8/5/10) |
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South Beds FoE are actively opposing the western Linslade development because the area is very rich in wildlife which cannot be replaced. scroll down to read our commissioned reports
Due to the way that the fields have been carefully farmed without the intensive use of pesticides, the hedges are full of wild birds and the fields are rich in flowers, and there are lots of bats which are a protected species under European and UK laws. This bat report means that Aylesbury Vale legally cannot grant planning permission as not enough surveys in bats have been done. The key paragraph is:
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| 2009 - Archived for reference: | |||
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Thank you all for attending the meeting on Thursday 11th December. |
Jan 2009 - Linslade Western Development We now have a list of actions if we want to stop the housing... |
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Step 1 Immediate action
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i) Write to Andrew Selous MP Andrew Selous MP, who chaired the meeting, has promised to pass on letters of objection to the secretary of state Hazel Blears. He advised that we write individual letters which are well-argued and non-emotive. The secretary of state has to reply to letters if they come via Andrew Selous, however, if you write directly to the secretary of state you are unlikely to receive a reply. Email: selousa@parliament.uk post: House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
ii) The consultation period has closed, but continue to send your objections to: ian.coates@gose.gsi.gov.uk at the Government Office for the South East This is to make the Government office aware of the strength of public feeling - again make points as practical as possible, not emotive, i.e. land being in Aylesbury Vale, biodiversity value of the land etc. The government office works on the deeply held assumption that developers can pay for everything and a new development will solve all the towns problems. They argue that many issues like traffic could be resolved if the developer produced and paid for solutions such as public transport. This why we need to describe the congestion issue as factually as possible, and explain the existing public transport situation, and to ask whether it is practical and good planning to assume that the developer can pay for the huge improvements to public transport that would be needed to stop a large increase in car use (and therefore carbon emissions) as well as the other needs such as schools and GPs.
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Step 2 Write to Aylesbury Vale District Council Objections should be sent by April 14th |
Cllr Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and/or Mr A Barker, Area Planning Officer
AVDC |
Read documents prepared by the Environmental Dimension Partnership on behalf of Paul Newman New Homes, on the Central Bedfordshire website
click here, and input 09/0176 in the case number box |
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Step 3 Raise £4,000 for environmental report Donations can be sent to: Ken Barry, Treasurer 97 Bideford Green Leighton Buzzard LU7 2TJ Cheques payable to ‘South Beds FoE’ |
Charlie Hopkins' letter to GOSE
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Ecological Assessment by Philip Irving |
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South Beds FoE oppose Western Linslade development on wildlife issues
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South Beds Friends of the Earth is a group of local volunteers who are affiliated to the national organisation of Friends of the Earth (FoE) which has 232 local groups across the country. Although we receive information and some advice from national FoE we receive no financial support for our expenses. We desperately need donations so that we can raise £4000 to pay for detailed legal advice from EarthRights solicitors (who stopped a quarry in Cornwall which was rich in wildlife becoming a landfill site), and for an expert on bats, Dr John Altringham, Professor of bio mechanics at Leeds University. We can then send the reports to the government office so that they understand that this is a really serious breach of European and UK laws.
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| 12/11/08 Estate plans for Linslade cause an outcry See article | |||
| 08/07/08 Developers plough on with 1,000-home plan See article | |||
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27/05/08 New plan for 1,000 homes in Linslade article A NEW developer has thrown his hat into the ring with an announcement this week of plans to build 1,000 homes in Linslade. Paul Newman Homes say their scheme is still in the early stages, but the plan will utilise land west of Derwent Road that is outside the protected Green Belt. The development would come in addition to the 4,000 homes already being built in south Leighton. The Countryside behind Bideford Green over Valley Fen is very beautiful and rich in wildlife. Fenland is very rare in Buckinghamshire. Before the bypass was built there were ancient oak trees and it was a very tranquil and beautiful area. The hedges are full of Greenfinches and Bullfinches as well as many other varieties of bird and animals, including bats*. The fields are full of flowers as Mr Kimble, the Valley Fen farmer, rarely uses herbicides. Many people regularly walk over this area, in spite of the new bypass cutting through a number of footpaths, and it makes a huge difference to their quality of life. A planning application for a petrol station on the Linslade bypass was refused after many protested that it would be inappropriate in such a pleasant rural setting. We are now going to have a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the by-pass at Wing Hill, which would not have happened without an excellent campaign by local people and Friends of the Earth.
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Your chance to really influence the changes in Leighton The government plans require 26,000 new houses in Leighton-Linslade, Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis before 2021, with more to follow before 2031. Major fears are that the new houses will be built without the necessary supporting infrastructure, much local countryside will be lost for ever and our roads will become ever more congested.
In a recent statement, Tom Nicols, South Beds Council portfolio holder for planning and development said: "We encourage constructive guidance and would welcome input on both unsuitable and suitable sites for new housing. The government has the power to enforce the number of new houses but any developer with ambitions to build in the area will have to work within our Local Development Framework." see South Beds Council LDF guide
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What is your main concern with
the town's growth? What do you like about Leighton Buzzard? List the qualities you most enjoy about the town and air concerns about the likely irreparable damage. What do you value about life in Leighton? Are you already saddened by changes which you can only imagine will get worse? Do you feel there is a strong sense of community, and would this be destroyed by huge development? |
List the proactive policies
which may help in the town, for example, ask for plans to deal with:
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The following are Friends of the Earth policies which ideally we would all like to see improvements on, or policies written up in the Local Development Framework:
Energy efficiency Renewable energy Carbon neutral housing Investment in rail, buses & cycle-ways and cuts in roads budget Food waste & glass (more recyclables) collection Protection of green spaces, parks and wildlife habitat Local produce and better range of shops to keep people shopping in town |
| See background page for research and ideas | ||