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be covered by many of the same restrictions, not
to mention Agricultural Land and the fact that
such a development would overwhelm the
already over stretched local amenities.
To add to the above is the damning fact that
the former WDC blatantly lied to local residents
with their continual mantra of (sic) 'we do not
want to join the surrounding villages to Wycombe
Town which would only increase the sprawl (their
word) of the town'.
This is already happening, new builds on
Hammersley Lane, unaffordable to many, to cite a
prime example. Name and address supplied
VV Approached Katrina Wood to respond:
I have been given the chance to respond to a
letter received by the VV editor regarding my
involvement, or perceived lack of engagement
with the Ashwells/Gomm Valley development.
Firstly in response, I did not write the article in
issue 202 Feb/Mar 2021 on Penn School as alleged.
That was written by Peter Miller, who has followed
the issues with Penn School since the purchase of
the site by the Department for Education and has
a deep knowledge of the site and the issues
surrounding it.
With regard to the Gomm Valley/Ashwells, the
issue was that Gomm Valley had been set aside as
a site for reserved housing around 50 years ago so
it was always going to be released at some point
when housing numbers decreed that it was
necessary. Reserve sites did not mean they were
saved for ever more as they were, it meant they
were reserved for housing whenever they were
needed to meet housing numbers set by the
Government. It was a false belief that the site was
preserved as agricultural land and could never be
built on as the opposite was true and it was always
going to be difficult to fight its eventually release
for housing when the need arose. The Ashwells
site itself does not have any major designations
such as Green Belt, Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty, Local Landscape area, nor is it I the
Conservation area, although it is true to say that
these designations exist on land outside the site.
The are some small areas of Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Gomm Valley
development which will retain protection.
Wycombe District Council tried a few years ago to
allocate it Green Belt status but the planning
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Village Voice April/May 2021
inspector at that time refused to allow it.
I certainly voiced many objections regarding
this site since it was first mooted to be released
from being a reserve site in 2014, and I spoke
vociferously against its release at the Cabinet
meeting making the decision in October 2014.
One point I emphasised was that if it had to be
released, which I was totally against, then the
infrastructure should precede anything else.
However, as Councillors we cannot not win every
argument for our residents and can only voice our
concerns to the best of our ability.
Once the site had been agreed to be released, I
worked with residents and the Council through
the public workshops and the liaison group set up
by the Council and the local Ashwells forum, to try
and make sure that local concerns were listened
to and that what is eventually built is the best that
local residents can hope for. When the outline
plans were put in for planning, I ensured it went
before the full planning committee for discussion
and argued against certain aspects, again
infrastructure and housing numbers, but outline
planning was given. When the original plans were
discussed there was the prospect of 120 dwellings
on Ashwells, the latest application is for around
104 so working together we have all managed to
reduce the number by 16. That may not sound a
lot but it is significant in an application the size of
Ashwells. Gomm Valley is another matter and
there is a current planning application in for that
site. Surprising as it may seem and although I do
realise how intrinsically these two sites are linked,
the Gomm Valley application has not been part of
my ward and there are limits to what I can do in
that area at the moment.
With respect to the authors comments
regarding the joining up of surrounding villages
to Wycombe Town, well to prevent that is still the
intention of the local plan. The houses being built
in Hammersley lane are infill or the replacement of
one property with more. Developers have every
right to put in applications for what they want to
build and with planning laws relaxing all the time
with the presumption of more houses needed,
there is less and less opportunity for Councils to
shape their own place and request something
different to what developers want to build and
ergo even less ability for Councillors to change
things. Katrina Wood. Buckinghamshire Council for Tylers
Green and Loudwater
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