Frosty reception for lack of town foresight

I have read the various letters regarding our town centre redevelopment and trust that, as already said by previous correspondents, Areli will do the job, quickly and well.

I was talking to the manager of Iceland on Saturday and he told me there was nowhere suitable for them to relocate to in Maidenhead and that they wouldn’t be moving back into the town.

What a dreadful loss.

He said that they had outlets in Slough, Reading and High Wycombe.

That’s all good and fine for people who live there, but how do we get our frozen goods and groceries home by bus from any of those locations?

Have any of the parties involved in this redevelopment decision thought about the residents of our town?

We have lived here for over 50 years, our children went to school here and I worked in a local school for 26 years, so consider myself to be a resident.

At a time when we are all being encouraged to be environmentally friendly, we have no choice but to go out of town, by one means or another.

For those who no longer drive or can’t, there and back, it’s a half day trip at least by bus to any of these locations.

Our frozen goods will certainly defrost very well en route.

For those in our later years, it just makes life even more difficult.

The awful thing is that this is an open ended situation and if it takes half as long to return to some state of normality as the ‘unveiling’ of the building at the bottom of Grenfell Road, then Lord help us.

I truly fear that this is the demise of our town.

JOYCE BANKS

Silvertrees Drive

Maidenhead

Council land sales are not getting ‘best price’

I write with regard to your articles of April 24 and May 1 concerning the sale of the freehold at Stafferton Way Retail Park, as well as the proposed sale of land at Braywick Park to Maidenhead Football Club.

Both decisions should give local residents serious cause for concern as it appears the council is selling off parcels of land, effectively owned by residents, at discounted prices.

Firstly, in relation to Stafferton Way.

The council has justified the sale of the freehold to the existing leaseholder for the remarkably low price of £150,000, as it naively assumes that when the residential restriction expires in 2029, the site will not be redeveloped for housing due to existing long-term leases.

This assumption is highly questionable as highlighted by John Baldwin in Viewpoint last week (May 8), leases can include break clauses, businesses can fail, and freeholders may negotiate lease buybacks.

With restrictions removed and leases no longer in place, the freeholder could apply for residential planning permission, which would likely be granted given the site’s sustainable location and suitability for development.

Residents should note that this is a prime development site which, with residential planning permission, could be worth millions.

This risks leaving the borough significantly short-changed, while a private developer benefits from a substantial windfall, a value that could and should have been realised by the council to help reduce its debts for the benefit of its residents.

This decision warrants urgent challenge, as it appears to breach the council’s statutory duty to obtain the ‘best price reasonably obtainable’ under Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

To prompt proper consideration, I am prepared to offer £151,000 for the freehold, subject to contract, and as this exceeds the existing offer the council is obliged to consider my offer, I await its response.

Secondly, the proposed sale of land in Braywick Park also demands careful scrutiny.

The rationale for the sale is unconvincing, and once again residents are likely to lose out.

There are numerous grounds on which such a proposal could and should be refused, including the loss of open space, impact on the greenbelt, environmental concerns, etc.

However It should also be noted that Maidenhead Football Club stands to make a substantial profit from the sale of its current site, which in itself is a prime residential development opportunity.

It is reasonable to conclude that this financial incentive is a key driver behind the proposed move, rather than the stated aim of improving facilities and benefits to the community.

The existing ground is clearly adequate for the club’s needs and could be refurbished and further upgraded with additional low-level stands to significantly increase capacity without detriment to the surrounding area.

It appears the owners have no desire to do so and I suggest that instead of trying to make a gain at the expense of the residents they sell the club to an owner who would invest in the current location.

These proposed sales should be paused to allow proper scrutiny and negotiation, otherwise, once again, it will be local residents who will bear the cost.

CHRISTOPHER LEWIS ROBINSON

Maidenhead

‘Road closed’ blunder points to wider issue

Two ‘Advance Warning – Road Closed’ signs are currently standing side by side on Marlow Road.

One announces works on May 20-21.

The other announces works on April 14-15 – nearly four weeks ago.

A crew was clearly sent round last week to put the May sign up.

They stood it next to the April sign and left the April sign exactly where it was.

Not so much the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing; it’s one hand not caring what the other is doing.

In a few months’ time the pavement will be impassable at this rate – it’s already a chicane for wheelchairs and scooters.

It is a small thing.

But it is also a perfect miniature of how RBWM is operating.

Jobs half-done. Crews dispatched without the basic instruction to tidy up after the last lot. Total lack of common sense. Money spent twice to achieve what should have been done once. Residents left in frustration and disbelief for weeks, months, years.

If we cannot get something this simple right, what hope is there for anything harder?

Cllr Jack Douglas

TBFI, St Mary’s

Community events are vital for Devine charity

I volunteer for Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice.

On Saturday we attended the Cox Green Village Fayre and we would like to say a huge thank you to the organisers and to all the amazing people who came to our stall and, once again, helped us raise a huge amount for our local children’s hospice.

Community events are vital to us, not only for raising funds but also for spreading awareness about the essential work that Alexander Devine does in supporting our children and their families.

Unfortunately the majority of our income still relies on donations and fundraising and this would not be possible without the generosity of our wonderful community who continues to help us throughout the toughest times.

Over the summer we will be attending numerous events and you will see our blue gazebos and T-shirts at many fetes and fairs.

Please, if you can, come and say hello.

Even the most gruelling of journeys starts with one tiny, single step and we never take for granted the power of our community.

It is so much more than just belonging to something. It is about doing something together that makes that belonging matter!

SILVIA LITTLE

Heywood Avenue

Maidenhead

Thank you to schools visited over 40 years

Visiting a number of schools recently (for school productions, dance shows, music concerts etc), I have been very moved as a number of people have come up and said ‘hi’ as they were a former pupil at a local school years ago.

So, I wanted to say a huge thank you to any former pupils and staff reading this from the schools listed below.

Most of the assemblies and lessons I have taken over the past 40 years I first learnt as a child growing up in East London.

Often in schools there is a Q&A section with pupils and I am asked how I got first got involved in visiting local schools.

What is my journey?

I talk about growing up and I say that most of what I now talk about in schools I first learnt as a child.

So as I continue to reflect, it all goes back to December 31, 1976… and this and is still going on as, in life, we never stop learning.

So if you were a member of staff or pupil at these schools I want to say a huge thank you for the very warm welcome and reception you gave to me when I visited your school to talk about Jesus, whether it be with the Zach Rap or something else.

Thank you and my very best wishes to you for the future (and all the current staff and pupils in these schools).

On Friday, June 12 I am due to take a 40th anniversary assembly at Upton Court Grammar School, which is where this all started for me and every time I go there it is a time of nostalgia from my first visit in June 1986.

Secondary and middle schools:

Altwood, Baylis Court, Beaconsfield High, Beechwood, Burnham Grammar, Churchmead, Claires Court, Cox Green, Dedworth Middle, Desborough College, Ditton Park Academy, Eden Girls’, Eton College, Furze Platt Senior, Grove Academy, Herschel Grammar, Holyport College, Kendrick, Langley Academy, Langley Grammar, Newlands Girls’, Slough & Eton, St Bernard’s Grammar, St Edward’s Middle, St Joseph’s, St Peter’s Middle, Trevelyan Middle, Upton Court Grammar, Westgate, William Borlase, Windsor Boys’, Windsor Girls’ and Wycombe High.

Plus all the first and primary schools (from All Saints – Wexham Court) that have been visited for ‘It’s Your Move!, ‘Christmas Unwrapped’ & ‘Easter Cracked’.

WAYNE DIXON

Christian Connections in Schools (CCiS)

Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead