|
Back to WELCOME and INDEX |
Back to 1. WHAT WE DO |
Back to 1.7 PUBLICATIONS, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE |
|
|
Back to WELCOME and INDEX |
Back to 1. WHAT WE DO |
Back to 1.7 PUBLICATIONS, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE |
No 166 - 2003
8. The former School Buildings
A FULL account of the proposed development of the former school buildings was given in the last issue of The Douai Magazine (No 165 2002 p 16).Since then, there has been no material progress, but a great deal of discussion and debate. West Berkshire Council gave permission for the scheme proposed by Bewley Homes (as described in the last magazine), but the proposal was called in by the Secretary of State. This resulted in a full public inquiry, held in Newbury Council chamber during January 2004 to consider the case for development.
The developers and the Council presented a statement of common ground, and showed that there were no differences between them. A group of local residents had employed a firm of planning consultants to argue against the scheme on various fronts. They criticised some details of the scheme for the conversion of the listed buildings, the provision of affordable housing on the site and the overall size of the development. They were particularly concerned about the impact of the scheme on the local road network.
Fr Peter and/or Fr Oliver were present for the eight days of presentation and for the site visit undertaken by the inspector and the various parties. They learned a great deal about the process of a planning inquiry.
At the conclusion of the inquiry, the inspector said that he would present his findings during the first week of March, but could give no guidance about how long the report would lie on the Secretary of States desk before a decision was handed down. We hope that the situation will soon be resolved.
Index
Fr Wilfrid Sollom 1926 - 2003 - Obituary
Fr Wilfrid Sollom - Personal Tributes
The Abbey of Saints Adrian and Denis, Lamspringe, Germany by Abbot Geoffrey Scott
Spirituality in the Workplace by David Westcott
From The Douai Magazine 100 Years Ago
Douai Abbey Newsletter 19 including Community Notes
Go to index of Douai Newsletter.