Call for ‘postal referendum’ over The Elms

DEAR Editor, Previous letters to Thame residents have said that the fact that Elms Field is in the Thame Town Plan as a development site, limits the ability of SODC, the planning authority, to determine the suitability of the site.

SODC in 2006 declared that Elms Field and Elms Park were, together, Important Open Space, and extended the conservation area to include both. Following a review by English Heritage, this important conservation body declared that development would be Deeply Damaging,

Now, thanks to MP John Howells supposedly democratic Localisation Act.and elements in the Town Council, SODC find they can only “negotiate “ with the developer/owner of the field, but what does negotiation mean?

From being important open space, does the field get newly defined as unimportant open space? Does deeply damaging become somewhat damaging?

As for the so called “improvements” to the adjoining park, do these get negotiated down to simply “changes” to recognise the fact that they all favour the developer’s project and do not in any way favour the owners and users of the park?

Meanwhile, the council sits quiet. They have not responded to the letter from Peter Howes, which clearly summarised the Council’s failures. Neither has Cllr. Dyer admitted that he was wrong to say that the conveyance of land for the park did not commit the Council to protect the whole of the Elms, including the field.

The (well over) 2000 signatures petition is against any development in the field and will be resubmitted against all schemes, however they are amended.

The simple solution is for Thame Council to recognise that they have erred and carry out (if really needed) a simple one-issue postal referendum to all Thame citizens, asking whether they are for or against development in Elms Field.

The Town Council has already determined how the Elms field houses can be re-distributed to sites C, D and F, so what is their problem? Since the current negotiations involve fewer houses, re-allocation of some number is going to happen anyway, without a referendum. We are only saying, re-allocate the lot.

Residents and friends of Thame are invited to read the petition on elmspetition.org.uk, and if they agree with it, to add their signatures, which can be done easily from the website.

Peter Webb
Thame