Loss of valuable urban green space

The executive met at the town hall to discuss the relocation of the council’s new HQ last Thursday, May 8. It was to their credit and other councillors in attendance, that they expressed reservations about the Spa Centre green space being an appropriate location, due mainly to the inevitability that there would be a demand for too many additional car spaces in an area that is already over-loaded.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th May 2014, 07:15 BST

Knowing that this was a controversial matter, it was agreed to refer it to the full council for a decision. Unfortunately though, the executive still recommended the Spa Centre green site on their programme; as to consider other options at this stage was deemed to incur delays and possibly an extra £350k pa.

Therefore, as there are serious reservations about the Spa site, it would seem prudent to investigate more thoroughly, at least two other options now,- i.e. Chandos Street (we have too many shops already) and the town hall, which could be increased in floor area. Then there would not be the reprogramming delay that the chairman fears.

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To carry out feasibility studies by independent architects on the best other options would not take long and would be a fraction of the cost of the present expenditure. Why not use imaginative professional expertise, rather than taking the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket and hoping Leamington residents will accept losing one of their officially approved best urban open green spaces?

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If I may quote from the council leader Cllr Mobb’s philosophy on our Local Plan - “A resident that does appreciate fully the wonderful area that we all benefit from. A resident that does appreciate our heritage, our towns, education and our green space.” Admirable sentiments but not to be applied to the green space outside the Spa Centre it would seem. The wonderful areas of Leamington are intrinsically linked to the urban green spaces. Their value cannot be calculated by annual returns or as free building plots.

In my 50 years as an architect/planner, I have never known of any scheme that proposed to build on established public green urban space where there is no existing building. This idea should have been hit on the head from the start due to its contravention of old and new planning policies. There is no doubt that when the formal planning application for offices on this site is submitted it will have considerable opposition.

Vincent Ford, Address supplied

Related topics:Leamington