Archive for the ‘Housing Development’ Category

Like all residents in the area, you probably experienced a degree of localised flooding following the very heavy rains over the weekend of 27-28 Feb 2010.

For example, several of the back-gardens in Moor Lane were once again swamped as the ground was already saturated and the local drainage could not cope.

Interestingly, the proposed housing site was also somewhat overcome as you can see from the pictures below:

So this begs the question of where will all this water go when there are hundreds of houses on this site?

Answer that, Woking Borough Council.

For those of you unaware there was a presentation by the two remaining bidders at Moorcroft on Saturday 19th September 2009. It was not widely advertised so you are forgiven if you missed it.

I’m afraid to report that after viewing the presentations and talking at length with many of the attendees, the general reaction to the presentations by Evolution and the Place Partnership was one of general disappointment and there was little there that was not presented at the previous consultation.

True the ideas are still evolving but little appears to be have done to address existing residents concerns about the core issues of density, access, residential scale, lack of facilities, flooding and noise.

We understand these matters go be beyond the remit of the bidders but its hugely frustrating that there wasn’t anyone there from the planning department of WBC that could consult on these subjects.

The bidders themselves are either unaware, uninformed or waiting for direction from WBC.

To WBC – Its not hard guys – full PROPER consultation with residents, proper reasoned dialogue and open review of the issues. Then perhaps you might start the process of healing the rift with the local community.

Attached is pictures of the proposed site layouts which contrast rather starkly with the rather pretty design submitted in support of the new access application.

Site Design submitted by WBC in new Access Application

Site layout by Evolution

Site layout by the Place Partnership

As always, feel free to submit comments below.

Message from WBC:

The Public Workshop will be open from 11am – 4pm on Saturday 19th September at the Moorcroft Centre for the Community. http://www.woking.gov.uk/community/older/centresforthecommunity/moorcroft

Kind regards

Priority Homes Team

Woking Borough Council

www.woking.gov.uk/priorityhomes 01483 743891

Copy of an letter from Priority Homes in response to an enquiry from a Moor Lane resident.

To:
(Resident)
Moor Lane
Woking
GU22 9QY

From:
Woking Brought Council
Civic Offices
Gloucester Square
Woking
Surrey
GU21 6YL

Telephone (01483) 755855
Facsimile (01483) 768746
DX 2931 WOKING
Email wokbc@woking.gov.uk
Website www.woking.gov.uk

14th July 2009

Dear (Resident)

RE: Moor Lane Development

Thank you for your email dated 4th July regarding access to the development site north of Moor Lane.

At this stage the Council is not intending to use Moor Lane as a main access to the development site.

The County Highways Authority (CHA) would require significant changes to the Moor Lane carriageway for it to be used as a major access to the site. Some of the land required to achieve the necessary road structure to provide an access from Moor Lane is not in the Council’s ownership and would therefore require a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of 3rd party land. However, a CPO would be difficult to justify because a detailed options appraisal by an independent highways engineer identified viable alternatives (not requiring the use of Moor Lane) which satisfy CHA requirements.

The Council is therefore not intending an access from Moor Lane itself to be included in any access planning application to the development site that is made by the Council.

However, in a separate study the highways engineer has determined that it may be possible for a small number of units to be served from Moor Lane itself without requiring any carriageway widening or major junction improvements. If the small number of units requiring access were to the eastern end of the Moor Lane, it may require at least three passing places along the length of the narrowest part of this road. Those currently bidding for the rights to develop the site may wish to pursue this possibility.

Another option would be for the bidders to investigate the possibility of achieving an access, again, for a small number of units, at the western end of the site, where the Moor Lane carriageway widens. This approach would require an assessment on the deliverability of such an access bearing in mind the common land status of the land between the road and the site.

In summary, minor access from Moor Lane, if any, would be addressed by the bidders in consultation with the County Highways Authority at the Masterplan stage and by the Local Planning Authority at the detailed planning application stage.

We will be holding a public consultation on Saturday 19th September between 11am and 4pm at The Moorcroft Centre for the Community.

We hope we have helped in some way to answer your queries. The Council will continue to keep residents informed as the project progresses. If you would like further information regarding Priority Homes please refer to Woking Borough Council’s website at www.woking.gov.uk/priorityhomes or call 01483 743891

 

Yours sincerely

Priority Homes Team

You must admit, the weekend was glorious and in keeping with many (whom I met along the way), it was an opportunity to enjoy the open spaces around Westfield Common.

Here are some photos of the open countryside and farmland showing the site earmarked for housing development (click on them to see them full size).

View looking West from right of way path

View looking east from right of way path

And a close up of another local resident who will get evicted with an uncertain future.

Honestly the whole situtation fills me with frustration!

Where else in Woking can you escape into the countryside with relative ease and encounter wildlife, farming and farm animals for free?

All this will be lost forever.

Is it worth it?

According to the WBC Priority Homes web-site:

The Bidders will be displaying their revised proposals for the Priority Homes Project at a Public Workshop on Saturday 19th September 2009 between 11am and 4pm at Moorcroft Centre for the Community.

Westfield Common is registered as CL121 in the Common Land register (Commons Registration Act, 1965).

A map showing the registered area is shown below:

Development of Common Land is protected by statutory law, the most relevant laws are:

• Section 38 of the 2006 Act requires that consent be sought to carry out  restricted works on land registered as common land under the Commons Registration Act 1965.  Restricted works are any that prevent or impede access to or over the land. They include fencing, buildings, structures, ditches, trenches, embankments and other works, where the effect of those works is to prevent or impede access. They also include, in every case, new solid surfaces.
• Under the Law of Property Act 1925 (Section 194) it is unlawful to construct buildings, erect fences, or carry out any other works which prevent access to common land unless the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has given permission.
• Under the Law of Commons Amendment Act 1893 (Section 2) Any inclosure or improvement of a common (removal of common rights and enclosure of the land) is not lawful unless the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has granted permission.
• Road Traffic Act 1988 (Section 34) -This makes it unlawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle on any common land (as well as some other types of land ) without lawful authority.

For those struggling to find the information in the planning application or WBC website.

Planning permission has been requested for 3 routes:

• Option 3 – Through the southern end of Newlands Avenue (emergency access only)
• Option 5 – Through demolished 3 & 5 Quartermaine Avenue
• Option 12b – South side of Westfield Way.

See map below (click for larger view).  The routes are shown in red:

The high-level flood risk assessment submitted with the Outline Planning Proposal in 2006 states that

• The development will increase the amount of surface water from the site
• It is proposed that surface water will be collected in balancing ponds and discharged to existing ditches on the east of the site!
• Foul water for the site will be pushed through existing sewers. No review of the existing sewers capacity was carried out at the time.

A map of the existing sewers is shown below:

Foul Water will either drain via gravity to the existing sewers or will be pumped to the south most likely to into node 5101 (see map below for a zoom into the relevant node).

All rights acknowledged.

The WBC website has posted a notice stating that Demolition Notices have been served on 3 & 5 Quartermaine Avenue. The notice has an end date of 30th September 2010. The link can be found here: Demolition Notice