Wycombe Liberal Democrats

In recent years the number of pubs in the Wycombe Marsh area has halved. Starting off with the Papermakers Arms in Kingsmead Road, after a fire the building was demolished and then the land redeveloped for new housing. The second pub to disappear was the Half Way House on the London Road, although the building is still there it has fallen into disrepair and is unlikely to ever re-open as a pub.

Earlier this year the Red Lion and now the Rifle Butts both closed after the sitting landlord/lady could not agree new terms with the pub owners on a new lease, both pubs appear to be unable to re-opened by the owners, due the requirements to evict the tenants.

Considering pubs are addressed as a part of the communal and social environment of local areas, I feel that if these pubs are to remain closed and end up as yet more developments for housing, then surely there is a need for a communal facility to replace these pubs and still give the people of this area a focally point for social and recreational needs.

Ryemead Councillors Trevor Snaith and Ray Farmer have been fighting to stop the development of Bassetsbury Allotments. As the
picture shows the allotments are being well used by local residents. Your Conservative controlled council and Cabinet want to conduct research to look at feasibility of access onto allotment with an agenda to build Homes on the site. Your local councillors are asking why Bassetsbury Allotments out of all the allotments in Wycombe town and rural villages are being singled out for this?

The Imagine the Future consultation earlier this year resulted in 43 residents opposing development of the allotments with none in favour. It raised more letters and comments than any other topic across all of the district ! These points have been repeatedly made to the Council by Cllrs Farmer and Snaith.We pledge to continue until the council realise that local public opinion matters!

Despite this the Council has so far refused to confirm that the allotments will remain. They still continue with a course of action including evaluation of access into the Allotments through the railway embankment .

Trevor said “ I would urge everyone who wishes to protect the allotments to send a reminder to the Council to ensure they do not forget the strength of feeling on this issue.”

You can send your emails asking questions to -
Cllr Hugh McCarthy Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainability email hugh_mccarthy@wycombe.gov.uk
Cllr Lesley Clarke – Leader of the Council email lesley_clarke@wycombe.gov.uk
Cllr Trevor Snaith –Ryemead Ward email trevor_snaith@wycombe.gov.uk
Cllr Ray Farmer - –Ryemead Ward email Raymond_farmer@wycombe.gov.uk

WYCOMBE District Council agreed that a bridge could be built across the River Wye, to a new road, which would link the new homes on the site of the old sewage treatment works in Bassetsbury Lane with London Road itself. It will run across the area where the access lane to the Curry’s store currently lies.

At the Development Control Committee meeting, decisions were made without due consideration of the bigger picture and impact on the east of High Wycombe.
The DCC voted for the St James access road and bridge to be approved! The councillors failed to stand up for what is right: they accepted the proposal for the new development bridge and lights. One Tory councillor even suggested that the officers were applying duress to force the decision to approve to proceed.
Others supported Cllr Trevor Snaith and Cllr Ray Farmer who suggested that the new road layout was flawed and would cause additional congestion to the London Road. All traffic turning out of the new road will be forced to turn left onto the A40, and, if need be, do a “u-turn” at the Hatters Lane roundabout, coming back to the lights they had come through when they left the estate!!

The St James development to date has a poor performance regarding the impact of the other access roads into, through and out of the site. There has been considerable comment in the press regarding the traffic problems and accidents arising from poor design and highway planning:
- On the London Road/retail park due to poor lights and junction, there are car parts in the middle of the road as a testament to the problems
- On the Abbey Barn junction outside the Marsh School residents have painted their own STOP road markings in an attempt to prevent more accidents
- Guinions Road, The Marsh streets, Abbey Barn and Kingsmead Road – are all rat runs – and St James plans another rat run through the new development
- Currently our District and County Councils are displaying a marked indifference to the problems they are about to cause on the A40 from Hatters Lane through to the Marsh and in the New St James estate.

Wycombe District Council’s decision making is effectively run by rural and semi urban Conservative councillors making decisions that impact High Wycombe town. Councillors who represent and live in the country wards appear to have little comprehension of the dynamics of the town and the problems they are creating. Perhaps they should book a week in one of the hotels along London Road to see what High Wycombe town dwellers have to live with everyday!

The first meeting of the steering group met on 2Oth July. The group includes local councillors for district and county ,church groups and representatives from Green Issues ( representing interests of St James Homes).
We are to meet with WDC officers to discuss how Community Centre can be delivered reallocating funds supplied by developer under S106 .

see www.planningsanity.co.uk

WANT TO BE INVOLVED LET RAY AND TREVOR KNOW

With the development of Eden what is going to happen to our local shops?

We are seeing small businesses being pushed out of business by the weight of the large retailers, Trevor Snaith and Ray Farmer are asking the council to invest in our local communities to support local shops for local people

The Friends of the Earthg have recently produced an advert you may find interesting

Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGoWKVA87ro

 The competition authorities are currently investigating supermarkets.

In January they published their interim report. In this report, they recognised several potential problems related to supermarket dominance.

The next stage of this inquiry is crucial. Tough action is urgently needed to control the power of the supermarkets.

We have the opportunity to ask the Competition Commission to make the grocery industry fairer for everyone.

We must urge them to investigate the things that really matter:

• Stronger planning policies
  Needed to protect smaller shops.
• Supermarket code of practice
  Needed to protect the interests of consumers, farmers, workers and the environment.

After all, who wants cheap food if it’s at the expense of people and the planet?