Agenda item

Helen Palmer asked the Executive Member for Planning and Enforcement the following question:

 

Question

The Topic Paper Local Green Space, accompanying the Draft Local Plan Update, referring to the site, “Land between Thames Valley Business Park and Napier Road” states:

 

“The site holds no formal recreational or historical value.”

 

The route, being free from motorised traffic, and running between green space and the river, is heavily used by walkers, runners and cyclists, including many locals who have health issues restricting the distance they can walk.

 

Others come from further afield to follow the Thames Path or National Cycle Route 4.

The Thames Path is a lovely route, nationally and internationally renowned.  Walking it myself, I met several groups of people who had come from overseas specifically to walk this path. It would be a local disgrace to allow “our” section of this famous path to be spoilt, for example by a main road bringing air and noise pollution.

 

During lockdown, heavy use led to creation of a second path alongside the Thames Path, allowing for social distancing. This land should not be narrowed by infrastructure.

 

Will councillors ask the officers to strike out this statement in the Topic Paper and substitute a statement that reflects the recreational importance of this site?

 

Minutes:

 

Question:

The Topic Paper Local Green Space, accompanying the Draft Local Plan Update, referring to the site, “Land between Thames Valley Business Park and Napier Road” states:

 

“The site holds no formal recreational or historical value.”

 

The route, being free from motorised traffic, and running between green space and the river, is heavily used by walkers, runners and cyclists, including many locals who have health issues restricting the distance they can walk.

 

Others come from further afield to follow the Thames Path or National Cycle Route 4.

 

The Thames Path is a lovely route, nationally and internationally renowned.  Walking it myself, I met several groups of people who had come from overseas specifically to walk this path. It would be a local disgrace to allow “our” section of this famous path to be spoilt, for example by a main road bringing air and noise pollution.

 

During lockdown, heavy use led to creation of a second path alongside the Thames Path, allowing for social distancing. This land should not be narrowed by infrastructure.

 

Will councillors ask the officers to strike out this statement in the Topic Paper and substitute a statement that reflects the recreational importance of this site?

 

Answer

As mentioned previously, the consultation on the Draft Plan last year provided an opportunity for everyone to express their views, which I am sure you did, to look at what we got right, what we got wrong and things we can improve on. 

 

The Draft Plan considered only a handful of areas, of which the site you referred to, was put forward.  In the next step of the process, we invited Town and Parishes, that were invited originally, but there was little correspondence which came forward, and other community groups and organisations to identify other areas of green space of which the number has now gone up into excess of 100, as previously mentioned.

 

Different views have been put forward to the extent of the area that might merit designation as well as different reasoning.  In addition to the smaller proportion, and I must emphasise, the site that was put forward, and I do not know who put it forward, was a very, very small site, that you refer to.  It would not encompass all the dialogue that you have just mentioned in terms of the recreation area.  I do not know if you are aware of what site you put forward, but it was a very small site.

 

We have now got further information purporting to explain the suitability of designation.  As I said earlier, it would not be appropriate for me at this stage, because we have got quite some time to go through before we take the merits of the next Local Plan and we take the Local Green Spaces to Executive. 

 

We can assure you that the outcomes will be documented in a future update and any changes will be updated on the Topic Paper and will be available to view and comment on in a future consultation that I hope will go out this summer.