Adoption of RBWM Local Plan. Urgent

From Paul

Adoption of RBWM Local Plan. Urgent
You should have seen notification of the extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night (8th), 7.30pm at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead. The meeting is being streamed on Youtube. Access via RBWM Youtube channel “live”.
This is the most important council meeting in 23 years since the last plan was adopted. This new plan is already nine years out of date.

The inspectors final report states that Cookham residents will be “frustrated” over the increased traffic and that is with grossly under called traffic numbers. I suggest you may wish to witness this event as you may want to be vocal for or against ensuing village planning applications.
Does this topic interest you?
Firstly, I am the “last man standing” after over 4 years and hundreds of hours of submitting representations and taking part in all hearings. On Tuesday I will again represent myself at this critical event as the sole Cookham resident, but perhaps for many in the village, and ask questions of RBWM. Again, I represent no body, political or otherwise, simply as a resident.
You have a chance to see what arguments are made and how your own Cookham ward councillors vote.

I have consistently objected to the plan, as did Cookham Parish Council and Cookham Society. Whilst there are obviously arguments over a 17% increase in homes in Cookham Rise with no improvement in services and the 330 homes on Spencer’s Farm just outside the village, my arguments aren’t directly against homes, but traffic unsustainability. However, the latest, so called objectively assessed need, shows we do not need anywhere close to the 14000 homes in the plan, yet the borough pushes ahead with building on Greenbelt.
I produced a detailed analysis of RBWMs own traffic numbers to essentially show that the Bridge and High Street in Cookham will be gridlocked and backing up through the village. ( A 540% increase in travel times for example) . They refused to discuss this or take account of the 650 homes in Bourne End. RBWM failed in my opinion in their legal duty to cooperate with Wycombe on traffic at Cookham Bridge. Evidence exists to prove that. It’s not only Cookham developments but borough wide that affect our traffic. No Cookham mitigation measures are proposed.
Recognise, that the moment of adoption, which is a possible outcome and with the whipping process ,almost a given, on Tuesday, the two plots of land representing 220 homes in Cookham will be reclassified from Greenbelt and applications for development will be likely made immediately along with 50 on Whyteladyes Lane. The only recourse to the plan, once adopted, is the High Court and Judicial Review. There are various additional issues that may warrant this throughout the borough, but with only 6 weeks allowed to make a submission it will largely depend on the motivation and pockets of the citizens and or Parish councils, although an initial legal view would not be expensive. Whatever, planning applications would have to be submitted and everyone would then have a chance to comment.

If anyone is interested to hear some of my evidence and defence of Cookham relating to traffic, much still exists on the Youtube recordings that were made of hearings during covid lockdown. See for example RBWM Youtube channel (2020). Just type into google a date and RBWM Youtube
October 5th@ 37 mins
October 6th @ 50 mins
(for amusement also see 9 mins in where the RBWM representative defending the developments in Cookham did not know, when asked by the inspector, where Cookham Dean was and clearly had never been to Cookham)
October 7th @3hrs and 11 mins
November 17th @34 mins
November 19th@1hr 11 mins

You can also hear some of the responses from RBWM and the representations of Cookham Parish Council and Cookham Society

I consider my arguments robust but, for reasons not yet understood, the council and inspector would not consider them.

You may not have realised all this was happening, you may be content with the process and outcome. You may or may not agree with a 17% increase in homes and removal of greenbelt. Whatever your view, whilst representation time is now past, I suggest that now is a time to voice your opinions. I encourage you to show interest. Tuesday night dictates our future and whether, for the first time in 1600 years we have adopted a plan to gridlock our roads. We owe it to ourselves and next generations to protect our village.

Paul Strzelecki