NEWS OF THE MONTH

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Next year 2012 will be the Society's fiftieth and we should perhaps pause to think how we have got here and have a stab at wondering what the next fifty might be like. It is well known that we were born in controversial plans to run a relief road parallel to the river cutting the borough off from its original life-blood, the river and the bridge. It was comparatively easy to unite in opposition to such a crazed scheme, so terribly typical of the car-dominated planning of the time.

May be we should be glad that nothing so trulyand patently awful is on the agenda at the moment.. The Society had reservations to say the least, about K+20 but little has been heard about that recently in the light of the current economic recession. The proposals for the development of the Surbiton Filter Beds seems to many as one of the few feasible ways in which public access and some protection of wild life can be gained as a result of a housing development on pontoons.

But this would be to take a very narrow view of what is going on. What is overhanging us all has been described as the death of town planning as known since the war, the capitulation to short-term commercial interests of developers and the desecration of what remains of our countryside and green belts. The Society has made known its views on the proposed changes to the Planning Framework, but no final decision has yet been made, though we cannot help thinking that it is already colouring appeals decisions. The National Trust and Simon Jenkins have been particularly vociferous in their opposition to the proposals and we are glad that Civic Voice, the successor body to the civic trust, has been just as concerned but more measured in its approach.

Unfortunately battles like these seem remote and irrelevant to many people so, unlike the road proposals in the 1960s, the Society cannot ride into the future with an enlarged membership fired up to oppose these proposals. We will continue to keep an eye on local proposed developments.  We will continueto try to make people aware of the veried and interesting nature of the Borough in which we live, and will continue to uphold high standards od design. I just hope there will be enough of us to have an effect.


In October the Committee discussed the proposals outlined in the Governments' Draft Planning Framework. Thanks to Brian Godding for drafting a reply to this, giving the Societys considered views on this matter which was sent in reply to the government Consultation.

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