St Margarets Protest Over Brunel Housing Development

12.00.00am GMT Mon 7th Jul 2003

On Thursday the planning inspector will hear objections to the proposed housing development by Octagon on the site of the Brunel University campus.

There will be strong opposition from local residents and the

objectors are being supported by Vincent Cable, MP, who has written to the council setting out objections to the development.

Vincent Cable said: "There are two basic objections. The first is that high density housing, mostly luxury housing, is being proposed for what is currently a large green and open site."

"While it is easy to understand why the developers want to make as much money as they can from the development, there is no excuse for the council not to take a more critical view."

"The council is already 80% of the way to meeting its 2075

housing target set five years ago and should be much tougher in defending the environment."

"Second, some parts of the scheme, notably Gordon House the architectural centre piece, will be gated off from the general public. This American-style approach of letting rich people shut themselves and their prime locations away from public view and from the 'great unwashed' is promoting division and is not something we should be encouraging. The council should be using its planning powers to stop it".

"From the point of view of the residents with young children, the big issue for the area - the lack of a primary school - cannot be addressed in this application because the council's planning brief excludes it."

"This means that, for the foreseeable future, parents with young children who cannot gain access to Orleans Infants will be forced to hike to far flung parts of the borough for an education in the borough schools, which is completely unacceptable".