Cookham public fear flooding and severe parking problems if 25 Shanly homes go ahead

About 30 members of the public showed up at a meeting of Cookham Parish Council to raise concerns over a proposal for 25 new homes.

The brunt of the public presence was made up of residents from Strande Park, a mobile home park nearby, which would be affected by Shanly Homes’ proposed development.

Top of the list of concerns were flooding, traffic and parking.

Members of the public feel there is already a danger to life in the surrounding streets Stande Lane, Lightlands Lane and Bass Mead, including a blind corner at Maidenhead Road – likely to be made worse by the new houses.

Strande Park residents also have about 41 parking bays for 70 users – and argue that a new application would increase on-street parking, for which there is no room.

Speaking for Strande Park, member of the public Michele Smith spoke about how residents’ quality of life would be adversely affected, if these plans were approved.

“My daughter can’t come and visit me – there’s nowhere to park,” she said. “We will not have any visitors anymore.”

The extra burden on the roads could also make it difficult for emergency services vehicles to get where they are needed, she added.

Until recently, the site was on greenbelt land – but was taken off the greenbelt in the Borough Local Plan (BLP) which is now formally approved.

Cookham Parish Council (CPC) made representations against this during the examination hearings but is now ‘bound by the fact that the BLP exists.’

“We may not like it but we must accept that we lost that argument,” said Bill Perry, chairman of the planning committee for CPC.

Though there is talk of a judicial review being launched against the BLP, it is ‘unlikely to be successful’, he added.

Nonetheless, the parish council can still object to the application like any other.

CPC noted that Thames Water and the Environment Agency have not yet responded to Shanly’s flood strategy, and that its proposals are ‘flawed’.

The planned removal of bunds would increase the flood risk in an area already ‘highly vulnerable to flooding’, CPC’s planning consultants found.

Because of this and the risks of obstruction on the narrow roads caused by increased traffic and parking, the parish council was unanimous in objecting to the development.

In a statement responding to concerns last week, Shanly Homes said: “Car parking provision complies with policy requirements and the Transport Statement considers the safety of the new access from Bass Mead. Fire and emergency vehicles can access the site.”