The Cookham Plan

Findings and Recommendations

Housing and Development Group

10. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

During preparation of the Cookham Plan, a number of potential development sites and proposals have been suggested to the Housing and Development Working Group. These include both a number of well known sites which have been under discussion for several years as well as other proposals ranging from new housing for family members on land owned by their relations, through redevelopment of existing commercial premises to ideas for sites to increase Cookham’s housing stock or alleviate traffic or other local problems.

Whilst it is not appropriate for the plan to pre-empt the planning process or the rights of property owners to use their land as they wish (and recognising that some issues have been raised with us on a confidential basis), we endeavour to give broad guidance on these matters based on the views expressed by local people during consultations and the recommendations made within this report.

We consider it inappropriate that any sites should be listed in the LDF as potential development sites without any official consultation. As and when official consultation is undertaken for appropriate policy elements within the

LDF, these can be considered but decisions should not be pre-empted.

We believe that there should be no significant new development within the Green Belt. Specifically, there should be:

• No extension of housing into either Poundfield or the area between Whiteladyes Lane and Lower Mount Farm.

• No construction of new roads (such as a southern bypass or a relief road for the Pound) within the green belt. Any such development will damage the landscape around Cookham and is likely to lead to future calls for the adjacent land to be developed for housing or other uses.

Cookham’s business community is an important source of employment and of diversity within the village and should be supported to continue trading here.

However, businesses must respect the character of the area and accept that there are limits to what they can reasonably expect to be allowed to do on their sites. In particular, developments which impact on their neighbours or other residents, increase traffic movements, parking requirements or require additional, intrusive infrastructure (such as power supply or telephone structures) should not be permitted.

Cookham Rise shopping parade is a very important part of the village and the businesses there provide a valuable service for all of Cookham. We have, however, heard much criticism of the quality of the appearance of the parade

and we believe that there would be widespread support for proposals for its refurbishment or redevelopment provided that arrangements could be made for continuity of trading for the existing shops.

10.5 The Gasholder Site in Cookham Rise

There is much support for the early redevelopment of this site with social or starter type homes which are in keeping with the area and with the design brief prepared by RBWM.

It is inevitable that in any built up area, properties will be demolished and redeveloped from time to time and this process contributes to the long term sustainability of an area provided that it is measured and appropriate. It has

been suggested that the plan should seek to place limits on the number of new homes developed in Cookham but we do not consider that this would be practical or enforceable. Rather, we would suggest that planning policy (and public spirit) should strongly discourage the piecemeal loss of garden spaces.

Where larger sites are assembled which involve demolition of buildings, their replacement should be designed as an enhancement to the area (such as the new houses erected on the former garage site at Cookham Dean Bottom or the

new cottages adjacent to the railway line on Maidenhead Road) and should not put any pressure on the existing infrastructure or amenities.

Additional social facilities such as residential homes, sheltered housing, housing association developments etc should be encouraged within the framework of planning policy so far as they meet the needs of the local population.

• Whilst it is accepted that Cookham cannot and should not try to prevent new development, the nature of the village and constraints on matters such as traffic and infrastructure taken together with the vital need to preserve the open spaces surrounding the village means that opportunities for acceptable development are severely limited.

• In particular, there should be no new development in the green belt surrounding Cookham. This applies to both housing and roads.

• To assist developers and planners in ensuring that new schemes are acceptable, the matters identified in this section should be developed in more detail and addresses in the Village Design Statement referred to in Section 3.

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