A letter concerning the impact of Hampden Fields on the NHS

I recently wrote to the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NHS Cluster to ask what the impact of the proposed development at Hampden Fields would have on local NHS services. I have now received a reply which I have enclosed below.   

My letter to AVDC concerning Hampden Fields

Last week I wrote to AVDC concerning the proposed development at Hampden Fields. In my letter I expressed the concerns of my constituents as well as my own and I have enclosed a copy of the letter below.

A letter from Bob Neill concerning planning policy for Travellers sites

I recently received a letter from Bob Neill, Parliamentary under Secretary of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government, concerning planning policy for Travellers sites which I thought may be of interest to constituents. Therefore, I have enclosed a copy below.

Consultation on Hampden Fields

The consultation on the proposed development at Hampden Fields (see my blog post of 20 March) is now open and the relevant documents can be viewed by clicking here. I encourage everyone with views on this matter to respond to ensure their voice is heard.

Information regarding the proposed Hampden Fields development

I recently received a letter on behalf of the Hampden Fields Consortium regarding their proposals to develop land south east of Aylesbury, between Weston Turville and Bedgrove. The plans for the site, which would be known as ‘Hampden Fields’, have now been formally submitted to Aylesbury Vale District Council for consideration.

 Knowing that this matter will be of particular interest to a number of my constituents, I contacted AVDC last week to ask how the application will be handled and when residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinions. I was advised of the following:

•  Now that proposals have been submitted, AVDC will spend the next weeks conducting various checks to ensure that the application is valid. This will include an assessment of the ‘Environmental Statement’ which outlines the expected impact that the development will have on the environment.
• After these checks have been completed, if the application is deemed valid, the plans will be publicised by the Council and the formal consultation with the public will begin. I have been assured by AVDC that they will contact me once the consultation is open. I will then inform constituents, via my website, how they can participate and formally submit their views. I would urge anyone with strong feelings on the matter to respond.
• At present, the developers have just submitted an outline plan which provides a broad framework highlights the general principles of the development, including different areas of intended land use, and maximum building heights.
• If the application is approved, the developers will then have to submit detailed plans at later dates.
• Before a decision is taken on whether to approve the outline application, AVDC will work very closely with Bucks County Council to resolve any potential highway and traffic management issues. I was informed that they have been involved in months of negotiations with Bucks CC regarding other recent large developments, and it would be no different with this application.  
• Local Parish Councils, in addition to Bucks County Council, will also be consulted by AVDC so residents will also be able to lobby their parish council to support their views.
• Responsibility for deciding whether to approve or refuse the application lies with Aylesbury Vale District Council. Officers will prepare a written assessment of the application including an analysis if whether it complies with local and national planning policies. This is referred to a panel of elected councillors for decision. Usually, AVDC allows objections to a proposal to state their case briefly to the panel.

I will of course ensure that I represent the views of my constituents about this application to the officers and councillors responsible for taking the decision.

For more information, please follow my website over the coming weeks. I will continue to monitor developments closely. To find out more about the developers’ proposals, click on the link: www.hampdenfields.co.uk . AVDC will publish details of the application on its website if and when it has been confirmed as valid.

A letter and FAQs from Greg Clark concerning neighbourhood planning

I recently received a letter and FAQ factsheet from Greg Clark concerning neighbourhood planning which is part of the Government’s localism agenda. I have enclosed a copy of the letter and factsheet below as I thought these may be of interest to constituents.

Arla dairy : planning application submitted to AVDC

Arla has now sent in its formal planning applications to AVDC. On Friday, the company briefed me on what they were proposing and how they had amended their plan in the light of comments by local residents. I also went to the site, next to the waste transfer station alongside the College Road North industrial estate, to have a look at the land that would be built on if this scheme goes ahead.

You can see details of the Arla proposal at this site . If you want to make representations to the Council either against or in support of the proposal, you have until three weeks after the site notices are first posted to make your views known.  I do not know exactly when the site notices will be posted, but am told by AVDC that it will be within the next two weeks.  I will update this blog post as soon as I hear of the actual date.

The documents associated with Arla’s planning applications (of which there are four) can be found on the AVDC web-site here.  You will need to search for planning applications 11/00962, 11/00963, 11/00964, and 11/00965.

Hemley Hill: Secretary of State’s Decision

On 9 December the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles MP, dismissed the travellers’ appeal to allow development of a currently unauthorised travellers’ site at Hemley Hill. 

Mr Pickles upheld the Planning Inspectorate’s report, which was submitted to the Secretary of State on 5 October, but extended the compliance period from 6 to 18 months. This means that the travellers will have to leave the site within that time period.

The travellers’ have the right to appeal Mr Pickles’s decision, but would need to make an application to the High Court within the next 6 weeks.

David said:

“I welcome this decision, which will come as a relief to many local residents, and hope that the travellers will now accept the decision and move out quickly from land that they had no right to develop in the first place.

“The Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, has made it clear that he is determined to protect the rights of established residents, along with the status of the green belt and AONB”.

Arla Diary: Public Consultation

Please find below a press release from Arla. The press release has details about public meetings regarding plans for a new diary in Aylesbury.  

Starts:

Arla Foods to host public consultation events regarding proposed fresh milk dairy

Aylesbury residents are invited to two public consultations to discuss the proposed £150 million investment into the world’s first zero carbon fresh milk dairy, near to Aston Clinton.

Arla Foods has assessed sites across the Midlands and South of England in a bid to find the ideal site for its new dairy. Aylesbury was selected due to its access directly onto the strategic road network minimising the impact on any local villages. The town also offers access to a strong workforce and the dairy will create more than 680 skilled jobs.

This unique scheme will bring a windfall investment into the local economy as well as providing education, training and apprenticeship opportunities and delivering high quality commercial space to foster new business growth in the area.

Arla Foods is keen to engage with local people and three drop-in exhibitions will be held on the following dates:

Wednesday 8 December 2010 from 6pm until 8:30pm at Weston Turville Village Hall, School Approach, Weston Turville HP22 5RW

Thursday 9 December 2010 from 4pm until 7:30pm at Anthony Hall, London Road, Aston Clinton HP22 5HG

Thursday 9 December 2010 between 8.30pm and 9.30pm at Buckland Village Hall, Buckland Village, Aylesbury HP22 5HU

Tim Evans, senior director UK projects and engineering at Arla Foods, says: “We are keen to discuss the emerging master plan with local people prior to submitting a planning application, which is why we are hosting two public consultation events to present our plans and give the local community the opportunity to discuss them with the project team.

“We believe the site we have identified is the ideal location for this unique proposal. Not only will it deliver high quality employment and training opportunities, it will process milk from British farms, which will support the country’s farmers.”

A website will launch on 3 December 2010 allowing residents an additional opportunity to review the proposals and comment. It can be viewed at 

www.arlafoods.com/aylesbury.Following the consultations, Arla Foods will review the master plan, considering the comments raised at the exhibition, before submitting a planning application this winter. If planning permission is secured, Arla Foods will be in a position to invest by 2011.

Ends

Hemley Hill

Please find below the letter that I received from the Department for Communities and Local Government to my letter dated 7 October (please see travellers post 12 October 2010).

As you can see from the letter, a decision is due to be taken on the appeal by 7 December 2010. The letters says that post-inquiry representations will be considered by the Secretary of State when he makes his decision. I would therefore encourage constituents who feel strongly about this issue to make their feels known to the Department if they have not already done so.