BRAYWICK COURT SCHOOL PLANNING APPLICATION INCLUDES PROPOSAL FOR SINGLE/DOUBLE YELLOW LINES ON HIBBERT ROAD

BRAYWICK COURT SCHOOL PLANNING APPLICATION INCLUDES PROPOSAL FOR SINGLE/DOUBLE YELLOW LINES ON HIBBERT ROAD Hidden away in the pages of the new planning application are proposals to introduce parking restrictions (i.e. single or even double yellow lines) along Hibbert Road, from The Causeway all the way until the junction with A308/Braywick Road. None of this was mentioned in the School's 'Public Exhibition' in January, or is mentioned in any of the promotional material about the application. It has effectively been hidden. The School's Transport Assessment in para 4.10 (see photos attached) says this is 'an additional safeguard against parent/carer parking' that 'is a suggestion made by residents'. We are interested to see (and have requested) any documents where residents would suggest this - as many of us from the area need to park our cars on Hibbert Road (and always have done, long before Braywick Court School ever existed.) If Braywick Court School's Travel Plan & 'Home School Agreement' is as 'robust' as claimed, then all parents/carers will use the 'Park & Stride' car park by Braywick Sports Ground. That is the key promise which the Travel Plan hinges on, and the School's only, (and unenforceable) answer to residents' concerns about all the extra traffic, access & parking problems a school of this size, on this site will create. Concerns which were shared by the Highway Development Control when they recommended the previous application be refused permission, which led to its withdrawal. So which one is it? Will all parents access the school & park where the school promises they will, forever, or will they want to to park on Hibbert Road? Sounds like the School admitting its travel plan is completely unenforceable. Which is what we've always said. Will there be similar restrictions in the Nature Reserve Car Park? No, there can't be, and there is no way of legally preventing parents from dropping off their children there. So why restrictions on Hibbert Road - which only really affect residents? Is this a cheap attempt at 'payback' against residents that have complained about the previous planning application? Did they expect anyone to even notice? Why wasn't this part of the proposal made clear at the exhibition? What else is hidden in the pages of the new application? Maybe this is just a set-up gambit so that RBWM can remove the idea of these particular restrictions as a 'concessionary' condition when the application goes to panel so they can be seen to have supposedly listened to residents' concerns?

RBWM Councillor Geoff Hill's 'Skewed' view of the new path...

If you've read some of our previous posts then you know how we feel about this path already - part of Braywick Court School's unworkable 'travel plan'.

It was built without any public consultation & in our opinion is an unnecessary eyesore through a beautiful wild area of Braywick Park.

EDIT: Thanks to a bit of twitter activity (www.twitter.com/savebraywickpk) Councillors Dudley & Hill say they will 'have RBWM officers visit and assess what can be done'. Watch this space... 

These photos below were taken 3 days before the tweet above...

This is the pothole ridden, single track road that cars have to use to access the drop-off car park where the path starts. Will be interesting to see how things develop as the school's numbers increase...

New 'Public Consultation' - Please fill in form or write BEFORE FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER

Braywick Court School held an Exhibition of their plans for the site on Wednesday. The plans still involve a massive overdevelopment of the former Winbury School site, use of Public Open Space from Braywick Park, taking over the Nature Centre & building a replacement one ON BRAYWICK PARK. 

Braywick Park is a beautiful park, and is Green Belt. This level of development is required because Bellevue Place Education Trust wants this 'Free' School to accommodate 210 pupils, whereas before, when the site was Winbury School it only ever had at most, 90.

There is a consultation form about these plans (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM) which MUST BE EMAILED TO rebecca.skinner@eu.jll.com BY FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER.

The plans can be seen on here:  http://www.braywickcourtschool.co.uk/public-exhibition/ The location of the Nature Centre is right on the last page of the 'Traffic Assessment' - [also at the bottom of this post to save you the trouble of digging it out!]

The form is a pdf which you can’t fill in on a computer easily so you will need to use adobe reader or another programme that allows you to fill in forms - or just copy the questions in and send as a letter/email.

Once you fill it in, please email to Rebecca Skinner by FRIDAY 31 October at rebecca.skinner@eu.jll.com.

(If you can’t open the file so that you can fill in the form, just write your own email, stating your name and address, and answering all or some of the questions which are listed below.)

  

In answering the questions, at this stage - short answers are enough. Types of comments you could make for the questions are as follows: BUT PLEASE USE YOUR OWN WORDING, AND NOT WHAT YOU SEE BELOW. Write what you think, and about the issues that matter most to you.

1. Do you support the design of the school’s infill extension?

NO – overdevelopment of the site; cramming a quart into a pint size plot; far too big; far too high; whatever you want to say about it.  

2. Do you agree with the proposed location of the Nature Centre?

There should be no need for a replacement Nature Centre which means loss of open space and green belt land. They want to take over the existing Nature Centre for classrooms for the school, so are having to build a replacement on the park. As mentioned above, the plans for the new Nature Centre are hidden away on the final page of the 'Traffic Assessment' (wonder why?) - we've dug it out and posted below.

3. Do you agree with the design of the proposed new Nature Centre?

Same as above

4. Do you agree with the proposal to close vehicular access to the school site from Hibbert Road?

They are referring to the entrance on the corner of Hibbert Road opposite Malvern House. It's pretty obvious this entrance should be closed on highway safety grounds anyway.

5. Do you agree with the proposal for school drop off and collection to be located in the existing car park to the north of the site?

No. Is this realistic? Are parents happy with it? Are all parents currently using the drop off and collection? Can’t see it being used in the winter when it is dark and raining etc. THE SCHOOL CAN'T MAKE PARENTS USE THIS FACILITY. Watch our video for the realities of how they say it is supposed to work... Write whatever you think.

Do you have any other comments on the draft proposals for the school or nature centre?  If so, please outline these in the box below.

Braywick Park shouldn’t be ruined by this proposed development which is on open space land and in the green belt. This is not an appropriate site for a school for 210 pupils as it is far too small. There are highway safety issues which have not been addressed. One could go on and on. Just have a look through all the posts on this site for whatever resonates with you - but most importantly PLEASE EMAIL THEM BY FRIDAY OCTOBER 31st.

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If you can’t fill in the form, then you can copy the questions below and answer as you see fit, and then send your email to rebecca.skinner@eu.jll.com.

1. Do you support the design of the school’s infill extension?  

2. Do you agree with the proposed location of the Nature Centre?    

3. Do you agree with the design of the proposed new Nature Centre?   

4. Do you agree with the proposal to close vehicular access to the school site from Hibbert Road?  

5. Do you agree with the proposal for school drop off and collection to be located in the existing car park to the north of the site?

Do you have any other comments on the draft proposals for the school or nature centre?  If so, please outline these in the box below.

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Here is the image of the proposed new location for the new Nature Centre they want to build on Braywick Park (they only want to do this because they want to take over the existing Nature Centre building for the School - because they want the school to accommodate more than twice the number of pupils it previously did when it was Winbury School - if they stuck to the original numbers, none of this would be necessary).

We understand this to be a prefabricated log cabin. Hardly a match for an early 19th century building with a heritage link to the town from a local benefactor as well. 

Is this the extent of the 'public consultation'? A leaflet that hardly any local residents have seen?

This is the only document we could find purporting to be the 'public consultation' - at least one giving information about the School. More of a prospectus than a consultation - with biased, weighted questions, and no space to write any detailed responses either.

At least 10 of the households on Hibbert Road (the majority) were NOT sent this (We only got this one at the School's open day in September). Did they even send it out to any other local residents?

Residents on Gas Lane weren't even notified of the 'public consultation' on 8th July showing the proposed plans. Gas lane is just off Hibbert Road opposite the Park very close to where they want to build the new Nature Centre Building. In the middle of the park.

 How do any of these questions give the opportunity to properly gauge local residents' opinions anyway? 

CLICK HERE to find out a few simple things you can do to help!