Cookham Discussion Board

Subject: Hollands Farm Consultation : ‘TROUBLED BRIDGE OVER WATER.’

A final communications push, before the imminent 17th Feb 5pm consultation deadline for 467 houses at Hollands Farm.

Councils have a legal duty to cooperate.
With a huge 600-650 houses total being proposed separately by both Wycombe and RBWM Councils, this single track, listed bridge ( constructed in 1867) would suffer >1000 traffic movements/ day, from BOTH the Cookham and Bourne End sides of bridge.
Where are the detailed, joined-up traffic analyses to support same?
Do residents of Cookham wish gridlocked traffic emitting pollution on Cookham High St?
Local Cookham resident analysis to date shows traffic slowed by a minimum of >500%.

The Hollands Farm proposal, just a few hundred metres from Cookham, constitutes 467 houses ( with a further 150 at Slate Meadow, Bourne End) in addition to 600 houses proposed on RBWM side of bridge.
It is important to note that every member of every household can make their views known by the upcoming deadline of 5pm 17th Feb. This would affect YOUR children, so please ask them to respond separately, as every single response matters. Response links are below.

https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/?fbclid=IwAR38v4P_Dvm8m5l-cZ4B6o3I_sEd5jzs-IZvTlsJlN6DVGKQGvAvseuWlHQ

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Hollands Farm consultation: TROUBLED ROADS UNDER WATER
1. Current infrastructure clearly cannot cope
2. Flooding in winter 2013/ 4 was far worse than shown here
3. Climate change: flood events expected to increase over time.

Do residents of Cookham have a view on a 467 house development, ~1/2 mile upstream?
If so, all individuals responses count, from every household member, including children.
Please make your voices heard

Visit: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/ Email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Mail: Charlotte Morris, Wycombe Area Office, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB

Flooded fields between Cookham Bridge and Bourne End are now completely frozen over.

Easiest way to respond is by email’

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https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/?fbclid=IwAR38v4P_Dvm8m5l-cZ4B6o3I_sEd5jzs-IZvTlsJlN6DVGKQGvAvseuWlHQ

HOLLANDS FARM CONSULTATION : 17th Feb deadline
VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ



Dear Supporters,


It is now just a few days to go till the deadline for response for the Hollands Farm Draft Development Brief consultation. This closes at 5pm on the 17th February!! Please just give a small amount of time (in the grand scale of things) to let your voice be heard, everyone needs to respond to help shape this plan.


This email contains all the information you need in order to respond.


What is the Draft Development Brief? How do I respond?
The proposal of building 467 houses on Hollands Farm in Bourne End has been in the pipeline for almost 5 years now, first proposed in the WDC Draft Local Plan in 2016 and adopted in 2019 (despite KBEG's best efforts to stop this happening for many many valid reasons). We are now at a point where the draft development brief has been put together which will shape the proposals for this site. The DDB can be found through this link: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/supporting_documents/Hollands%20Farm%20Development%20Brief%20%20Issue%209%20Dec%202020%20Consultation%20Draft%20for%20comment.pdf


You can respond to this in the following ways:
- Complete the online survey through this link: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/
- Email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
- Write to: Hollands Farm Development Brief Consultation, Planning Policy Team, Wycombe Area Office, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 1BB (if writing at this stage please keep the deadline of the 17th February in mind, this will apply to postal responses too).


For what reasons might I be concerned about this Development?
- Massive impact on traffic transport and roads.
- Services and Infrastructure that can't cope.
- A density of housing completely out of context for the area.
- A destruction of green space, ecology, wildlife and environment.


KBEG have held 2 online zoom meetings for the public covering the causes for concern with the DDB. If you have missed these, we have loaded up a recording to our youtube channel which can be found here https://youtu.be/Q0CWZOk5_L4.
We strongly encourage EVERYONE to watch this, it may be lengthy but the points raised are of great concern and it would benefit people to understand what they are.
If you have not got the time or opportunity to watch the meeting, below are just some points which you may find resonate with yourself. We encourage you to just focus on the 2 or 3 matters which concern you the most and write in regarding those. These must be relevant to the site and the Development brief to be taken into consideration. This is not just a localised matter, it will affect the whole area and all surrounding villages. ANYONE with concerns MUST write in and voice them. ANYONE CAN write in (you don't have to be living next to the development site). Please DO NOT copy and paste the below. Your submission must be in your own words to be given credit.
(Please note, this consultation is not to argue about whether this development should even happen, unfortunately that ship has sailed. The comments which will hopefully be taken into account with the council are the productive ones about shaping the brief rather than just objecting blindly to the whole concept.)


Landscape Character and placemaking

- There must be a substantial acceptable buffer zone between ALL existing residential areas and properties and the new development. This includes Hawks Hill (all properties), the entirety of Hedsor Road and Conservation area, Bridgestone Drive/Hellier Way.
- Green Space must be a priority, especially as there is an acknowledged current deficiency in Bourne End and Wooburn.
- The site must have zero net impact on biodiversity (not just offset against Little Marlow Country Park)
- Green Spaces and Buffer zones must be allocated with long term funding or ongoing maintenance agreed with the Parish Council and must be given protection from future development.


Transport
- There needs to be a comprehensive transport study done on the site BEFORE the plans are finalised. All issues including the new roads, access, pinch points must have solutions in place that will be acceptable for additional traffic the site will produce.
- Many suggested existing access points are unsafe for large vehicles to pass (e.g Princes Road, Hedsor Road)


Housing numbers and Density
- Bourne End and Wooburn were allocated 800 homes in the Local plan. Due to other builds and/or planning now in place (not even counting the conversion of office to residential), building 467 homes on Hollands Farm would by far exceed these numbers. It is acknowledged that over 800 extra homes in Bourne End and Wooburn would not be sustainable. Therefore the housing numbers on the site need to be halved. There are only about 250 homes now required to hit the 800 target so continuing with the original figure of 467 would push the number of new homes in BE&W over 1000 which is completely unsustainable.
- Not in keeping with Bourne End at all for the quantity per Ha (DDB proposes an average of 32 which would likely translate to 40 in high density areas).


Planning Applications
- Any planning application Must be made in full rather than an outline so that it deals with all infrastructure and sustainability issues


Who are Catesby and why did I get a flyer from them this week about a consultation? Can I just reply to that one?
Catesby are one of the promoters for the site and NO you should not think that responding to their consultation means you don't have to respond to the Councils consultation. It is crucial you respond to the Councils consultation first whilst you can. In fact the Council released this statement after Catesby sent this out stating they were disappointed it had been sent out and was not in agreement with themselves.


Thank you for speaking up and having your say in helping make this development brief more acceptable.


Best regards

The KBEG Team

For those interested in responding to the Infrastructure, Traffic and Over-development ( vs Wycombe Council's own Local Plan), you will have seen the official KBEG posting of Draft Development Brief and their guidance/ suggestions.
In case the following might help, here are some of my observations-- but I know you will assess Hollands DDB, make up your own mind, using your own words, in any response.

As a reminder for Cookham residents, all comments MUST link back to Hollands Farm site and be as SITE SPECIFIC as you can in what suggestions you are making to Council/ asking them to do, please.

Given just over 2 working days to deadline, the easiest way to get your response in is by email
planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
I hope this helps.

Visit: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/ Email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Mail: Charlotte Morris, Wycombe Area Office, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB

INFRASTRUCTURE CANNOT COPE
The initial planning application needs to be made in FULL, not OUTLINE, to ensure that all associated infrastructure matters are considered before any planning approval is given.
Part of the access point to Hollands Farm is in flood plain, which creates access problems ( as witnessed locally in several areas during recent floods).
Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) associated with Hollands Farm hardstanding have not been assessed. The immediately adjacent area clearly showed flooding and associated road closures in last few weeks and even more-so in floods of 2013/4.
Where is all the rain water supposed to go? Issue is expected to worsen with Climate change: unpredictable weather and wetter winters.
Issues of foul water, surface water run-off, water supply, gas and electricity services, pavements have not been addressed, particularly relative to such a large scale 467 house development.

The same infrastructure questions apply to the proposed flood plain development for 150 houses at Slate Meadow ( partial flood plain site). Sewage issues (for example) arose during recent flood events, causing Thames Water alerts to residents, without either 150 houses at Slate Meadow or 467 houses at Hollands Farm developments at all.

The 7.5 ton weight limits at Hawks Hill and Cookham bridge are currently not enforced.
Flood plain issues matter and are only likely to get worse with Climate change, unpredictable weather and wetter winters.
Bourne End does not have basic infrastructure of schooling, doctors surgeries, a police station, or any banks to cope with an additional 150 houses at Slate Meadow and 467 houses at Hollands Farm..

TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK
There needs to be a full and detailed transport study on all roads and access points, including all the mitigation requirements as part of the final Development Brief/Supplementary Planning Document (as per Terriers Farm).
Severe congestion already occurs at peak traffic and such large scale developments can only make things worse.
with several hundred additional traffic movements per day towards Cookham bridge ( and same in other direction from over 600 homes planned by RBWM), this traffic level is only going to get significantly worse.
Cookham bridge cannot handle 2x 600-650 housing developments & associated traffic movements of several hundred/ day vehicle movements, from either side of this listed bridge.

The 'bridge over the River Wye at Cores End Road roundabout is especially challenging. No solution/ mitigations  have yet been tabled, yet this is definitely needed.

In the Council’s own words, ‘unless a viable solution to access points is proposed, this puts the whole plan at risk’
The current S bend/ bridge over the River Wye on Hedsor road ( adjacent to Hollands Farm current entrance) is also very difficult and tight, with the main Hollands Farm entrance within yards ( Sadly, there have been fatal accidents over several years, including a recent one).
Any bridges over the River Wye and the immediately adjacent access provisions to Hollands Farm site need solutions( including land ownership issues and agreements)

Wycombe Council have recent initiated pollution warnings because of stationary traffic sitting/ idling in Marlow, including a huge street banner advertising same. WBE Parish Council has also undertaken an air quality study, which already shows pollution issues at both Woburn Green and Bourne End Parade. The significant incremental movements/ day in each direction ( from combined housing total/ resultant traffic from either side of Cookham bridge will only exacerbate this matter significantly ( no doubt RBWM will be also be addressing such issues for Cookham High St and Councils will be expected to cooperate fully).

Have the 2 Councils consulted and cooperated, specifically in a combined full detailed transport study that is deemed neccessary?
No detailed traffic mitigation possibilities have been tabled, or addressed to assess the whole picture, yet Cookham bridge is within just 1/2 mile of Hollands Farm site, currently in question.

MASSIVE OVER-DEVELOPMENT
The sustainable level of housing over the Local Plan period 2013-33 for Bourne End and Wooburn was set at 800.

467 houses at HF would take this total to well over 1000 houses and is in excess of the sustainable level set by the Planning Inspector. Why is this?
Furthermore, the proposed level of housing density at 467 houses on the net land available is way in excess of the Bourne End average and hence totally out of density and character.

Coupled with the numbers, housing density needs to reflect the overall levels for Bourne End and the immediate adjoining settlements
( 9 Bridgestone Drive houses directly facing HF site are at 11 dph (density per hectare), rather than 40 dph being suggested--- a factor difference of 3.6, in 2 immediately facing areas). Given the numbers of houses is excessive ( beyond plan, can this higher density area not be modified to be more in keeping with rest of Bourne End?

The housing proposals are for >200 more houses than the number deemed suitable and sustainable in the Council’s own plan. Why is this?
How can such  Overdevelopment excessive numbers be deemed sustainable, considerably beyond the Council’s own stated plan limits?
Surely the Council must tailor this Draft Development Brief to fall within it’s own, sustainably set limits?

The only permissible reason to remove HF from green belt designation is when Government states exceptional circumstances— surely this cannot now include over 200 homes over the Council’s own Plan limits, which have been clearly published/ set?

With 150 houses at Slate Meadow ( partly in a flood plain site) now planned, AND several other Brownfield or garden sites started in Bourne End & Woburn Green since the Council Local Plan numbers were actually set, the Holland’s Farm development level has not been either fully re-assessed in total, or modified—so as to fall within Local Plan levels. Why?

467 houses are just not needed to meet the Council’s own Local Plan levels.

Discounting any other houses from any other sources for next 12 years ( an extremely unlikely scenario, especially given likely changes to office practices, post pandemic) would equate to approx 1/2 of the proposed level at Hollands Farm to fully meet Local Plan.  
No one envisaged World pandemic when this process started: what about all large offices on established industrial estates, where conversion to offices could easily be accelerated? Surely this is preferable to high density, out of character development at HF?

Car nightmare at Cookham Bridge/ High St— can you visualise that?
Sense all those extra exhaust fumes in Cookham High Street?— not good for me!
Where have all the flowers gone?

HF Housing Draft Development Brief exceeds Council’s OWN Local Plan limit, by factor of 2.
Why not use ALL those Brownfield sites and EMPTY offices instead?— Simples !


Let’s play— then I’ll take you for a walk there ......& I’ll show you!


Please respond to Council/ suggest actions NOW — for your kids & for me!
Please email your suggestions & actions on Holland’s Farm DDB to

planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Easiest way to respond is by email

https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/?fbclid=IwAR38v4P_Dvm8m5l-cZ4B6o3I_sEd5jzs-IZvTlsJlN6DVGKQGvAvseuWlHQ

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Final reminder: please have your say by 5pm deadline.

Thank you for your time in reading the Draft Development Brief, the associated posts and for considering an appropriate response.


Visit: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/ Email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Mail: Charlotte Morris, Wycombe Area Office, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB

TRAFFIC, INFRASTRUCTURE and FLOOD PLAINS.
Interesting video from 2016 showed THEN how bad Cookham bridge traffic could be
( without any traffic from Slate Meadow, Hollands Farm, or RBWM housing proposals)

https://youtu.be/eQXCcdVKCFk

Time moves on, so in Feb 2021:
 >40% of time has already elapsed of Local Plan period 2013-2033. Is plan still valid?
Cookham Is still downstream of Marlow ( flood protections now in place) and Bourne End.
Water still flows downstream  ( & so would sewage, if extreme problems occur, as before)

150 houses at Slate Meadow are ( unbelievably?) progressing, on a partial flood plain site.
There IS still time to tailor the Holland’s Farm Draft Development Brief.
Can Cookham, our bridge & Bourne End cope with 467 additional houses at HF, or not? (>200 homes more than the Council’s own Local Plan deems required, or to be sustainable)

Please have your say TODAY by 5pm. Clock IS ticking down.
Every response counts. email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Visit: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/hollands-farm-consultation/ Email: planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Mail: Charlotte Morris, Wycombe Area Office, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB

The Guardian has written a good article on the problems of development in rural communities.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/17/development-destroying-rural-england-action?fbclid=IwAR1BGfYHifMnQzIIev8kgrG5sxFT-zIMumoKcvO7KUuT2qJk3gO0MTlN65Q