Articles and Speeches
 

A Welcome Development at Princess Christian Site
17-Mar-06, Windsor Express Article.

For those of us who live in Windsor, the Princess Christian Hospital has been a landmark for many years. It is a fine and magnificent building in keeping with the local area.

In recent years developers purchased the site to convert it to flats; as is common across the constituency. The developers initially proposed an alarming 42 flats! So I joined with local residents to stop such a large scale development which would have meant more road congestion, more pressure on school places and longer queues at GP surgeries.

We were delighted when the developers agreed to submit a new application for a more moderate 14 flats with ample parking space. The plan was widely supported by local residents who, far from being automatically opposed to any development, recognised that sensitive developments, in keeping with the local area, were to be welcomed.

Sadly, to the horror and amazement of residents, the LibDem council said they would reject the new application on the basis of their ill-founded housing policy.

This harsh and unsympathetic move against residents’ wishes will almost certainly lead to yet another unwelcome and insensitive over-development in our beautiful town.

I now understand why so many people are fed up with the LibDems running the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. They were trusted to protect the local environment but they seem to be doing their best to destroy it whilst raising council tax to unprecedented heights.