Viewpoint: Maidenhead Golf Club members did not want to move

Correcting the record on sale of golf club

Whilst I am in agreement with many of the points made by Alexander Cobb in his ‘Maidenhead needs a future…’ letter in the Advertiser last week (Viewpoint, January 16), I would like to correct an oft quoted misnomer which frequently appears in the letters page.

“The golf club and its members chose to sell.”

They did not.

The golf club was served notice to leave by the council back in 2015 and paid compensation for the remaining 24 years of the lease at that time they were finally forced to leave some 10 years later.

The fact that it has taken 10 years was no fault of the club and its members.

To a man, noone that I have spoken to wanted to move.

CLIVE KELLETT

Member, Maidenhead Golf Club for 45 years

Have your say on plans – or ‘They’ will decide

I agree very much with Alex Cobb who wrote in last week (Viewpoint, January 16).

He notes that people don’t want decay and decline, but they also don’t want change – and we can’t have it both ways.

I’d add another aspect to this.

When looking at development proposals like the Nicholson’s Centre or the golf course, people often feel ‘Well, no one asked us, They just build whatever They want, wherever They want’ (it’s not quite clear who ‘They’ are, but a lot of people share the same feeling).

But the reality is that local residents are always – by law - asked for their views about proposed developments.

And, the bigger the development, the wider the consultation.

However, very few come forward and engage with the process.

If you want to influence the future of the town, you’ve got to get involved.

How? Joining the Maidenhead Civic Society is a good start.

They regularly publish summary analyses of the bigger planning applications.

Otherwise ‘They’ will decide what goes where.

ANDREW INGRAM

Maidenhead

You can’t control what happens across street

I see we have the Landing (One Maidenhead) development wanting the Honeypot closed down as it’s anti-social.

Now wait a minute, the Honeypot has operated for 25 years and has obviously got established user rights.

As the report says, the council refused a licence and the owner threatened legal action.

The council backed off and granted a licence as they knew the owner would win the case.

Let’s put it this way, for the One Maidenhead devleopment you have control over land you own, but as far as I know there is no way you can control what is going on across the street.

May I remind you we are all inclusive these days and anything goes.

If the police have no objection then neither you or the council has a leg to stand on.

E SHEPHERD

Longmead

Windsor
 

Response to criticism of golf course decision

I saw in your viewpoint commentary (Opinion, January 16) a reference to the development of the golf club.

I thought it best to respond.

To confirm, I love golf and have no pleasure in seeing golf clubs disappear.

However, the location of the golf club adjacent to the town and with fantastic transport links means it is the best place to develop locally and protect our countryside.

It is happening and now the focus is to make the development an absolute jewel in the regeneration of Maidenhead.

That means fantastic public realm, open space and access for the general public.

It means a great new educational campus for primary and secondary pupils. In an area of Maidenhead that has been calling out for that for years.

It means phasing in that new educational facility in partnership with existing local schools to improve the overall educational offer for pupils in Maidenhead.

We should be focusing on minimisation of development traffic through the town.

High design quality of the homes and the hundreds of affordable homes for local residents to live in.

We face a national housing crisis.

To address that we need to build homes to increase supply, but also reduce the demand through controlling net migration into our country.

I am a glass half full person. In this development we have the opportunity to create something fantastic for the community.

We need local political representation that has both the experience and determination to do this.

Carping from the sides will result in a missed opportunity. We need positivity not negativity.

It’s happening. Let’s make the most of it so our children can live and own a home in the town they grew up in.

Not be trapped in their childhood bedrooms into their thirties.

Let’s give younger people the opportunity we had when we were their age.

SIMON DUDLEY

Former Riverside councillor and Royal Borough leader