Sewerage
Developers have a right to connect to the sewer system. If Thames Water does not raise any objection, then the council has no grounds for suspecting that the development could cause problems.
Many local residents on both sides of the railway line know that the current sewer network can barely cope at present and fear that this development will overstrain the system. However, we need something more concrete than fears to show the council.
Could anyone who has had sewerage problems in the past few years please email us. Please include as much detail as possible: address, nature of problem, date, whether Thames Water was informed, severity of damage, etc.
If any of you have sewer problems in future, report them to Thames Water and, if necessary, complain to Ofwat. If you don't, it will be assumed that the system is working perfectly.
Any feedback? please contact SLSAG.
Feedback
If you have any ideas about what you would like to see on this site or any other comments please do let us know.
Please request to join our email list for regular updates.
You can also contact your Ward Councillor who has a responsibility to listen to the views of local residents.
Any new information we discover about this forthcoming planning application from Galliford Try will be posted on this site.
The Site
This site was launched on the 9th May 2007. Please return on a regular basis as we intend to add additional content and make regular updates as the campaign progresses.
If you have any comments or questions on the content of this website, please contact
David Harnden at david.harnden@slsag.org.uk
STOP THE SANDY LANE EXPANSION !!
APPEAL VERDICT: WATCH THIS SPACE
Complaints about site work? See Complaints page 
Update 24th June:
The Public Inquiry into Linden Homes' new application for the Sandy Lane site will have to be heard again. The Planning Inspector was taken ill after the April inquiry and has been unable to write his report.
The new Inquiry is scheduled for 8th and 9th October and will again take place in the Council Chamber, York House, Twickenham, starting at 10 am.
It seems that since there is a new inspector, all representations and cross-examinations will have to be reheard. We will let you know of any further developments as soon as we hear them.
In the Public Inquiry on April 23rd and 24th, Richmond council defended its decision to refuse the application on the grounds of mass and height and the resulting impact on Bushy Park and neighbouring streets, plus the loss of permeability (ie, lines of sight and pedestrian access) inside the site.
Members of SLSAG and others presented additional reasons for refusal. Cllr James Mumford spoke on the application’s failure to meet council requirements on the number of small units and affordable floor space; Pieter Morpurgo, chairman of the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks, voiced their opposition to the scheme because of the visual impact on Bushy Park and the potential harm to wildlife; Ian Jones-Healey spoke on the worrying problems associated with surface water flooding, the sewer system and water supply system; Steven Gillespie addressed the design flaws and inaccuracies in some of the plans; and David Harnden spoke on the shortcomings of the Sustainability Appraisal and the renewable energy proposals.
The Planning Inspector gave no clue as to what his verdict will be. We gave it our best shot, but in many ways the system is biased in favour of the developer, since most shortcomings in an application can be ‘solved’ by making them a condition of approval. In other words, the developer can fail utterly to get something (sewage, sustainability, even the plans) right for a year, but this can be magically cured by making it a condition that they fix it.
We will publish the verdict as soon as we receive it. We will also give a date for a final meeting in the Lion pub in Wick Road, either to drown our sorrows or celebrate our victory. Whatever happens, this has been a great way to meet people in the neighbourhood. It’s been a communal effort, and we deserve a drink!
View of construction site taken from Railway Bridge - 8th Feb 2008
A 'Genuine Mistake'
In Chippenham earlier this year, Linden Homes built a housing development higher than had been approved by the council, then applied for retrospective planning permission and got it.
At the planning committee meeting in August, Linden said it had made a 'genuine mistake' but was 'proud' of what it had built; a local councillor stated that the majority of neighbouring householders detested the development; and a local resident spoke of having to live with an 'eyesore' and argued that Linden’s approach 'makes a mockery of the planning process'. Sounds familiar.
The story was reported in the Wiltshire Times, Gazette & Herald and the Swindon Advertiser.
Fordbridge Development
Linden is involved in another controversial development closer to home. For details on events in Fordbridge, go to Other Action Groups.
View of buildings under construction overlooking Bushy Park - 11th March 2008