21/02/13……Examination of Thame?s Neighbourhood Plan (Cont) The proposed Lord Williams?s Lower School site

FOLLOWING on from yesterday’s first report from the historic, first-ever, Examination in Public of a Neighbourhood Plan, here in Thame, the next item on the agenda was the proposed site at Lord Williams’s school, should it move to be amalgamated with the Upper school.

Bob Austin, representing the Thame East Residents Association was next to be call by the Examiner, Mr Nigel McGurk. Mr Austin told the Examiner: ?No one had taken the trouble to talk to us for nine months. Then the Neighbourhood Plan came to our rescue enabling us to form a view and respond to the needs of Thame as a whole. In the end we accepted that, given the situation in Thame and the threat of windfalls, we had to accept a compromise on the number of houses on the proposed Lord Williams?s School site. Allowances had been made for green space (which at the moment is mainly in the South and West of Thame) but if the school did move and windfalls did occur, there would be 775, plus as many more houses as would fit on the site.?

The Examiner said that a number of concerns had been raised around detail of the site. He asked Mr Austin: ?Are you satisfied that the planned approach to the site satisfies the protection of outlook and privacy (of existing residents)? Mr Austin replied that the right ?placing? and density of the houses would allow for some satisfaction on that front and that his association would appreciate a lower number of houses because there would then be a more acceptable level of green space. ?There is very little in the Lea Park area and to the East of the town,? he added.

The last speaker before a promised short break after two hours, was Sue Rowlands of Tibbalds, representing the town council. She was asked by the Examiner if she was satisfied that the planned approach to the school site satisfied existing residents. Ms Rowlands replied that she was satisfied, and that the plan provided an opportunity to bring new public amenity space to that part of Thame, and that they (the council) would look at density matching the existing development. She added that this was one of the possible sites for a new community centre.

The Examiner then asked Ms Rowlands why she was of the opinion that all the sites meet with the ?Basic Conditions?. She replied that the Neighbourhood plan process ensured that all the options had been tested for sustainability etc, tested against the Core Strategy and against the Consultation Vision of November 2011. It accorded with local people?s wishes she maintained, which is why site B had been rejected. She felt that all the options accorded with local and national planning policy, and with the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) requirements around viability, deliverability etc.

TOMORROW: Working and Shopping, Choice of ?preferred option? (for housing development) and Getting Around.

PHOTO: Mr Nigel McGurk, the Examiner in charge of Tuesday’s public Examination of the town’s Neighbourhood Plan. He will publish is Statement by the end of the month.