LEADER OF COUNCIL DUCKS AND WEAVES ON COLLIS SCHEME

11.23.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th May 2003

The second half of tonight's Teddington and Hampton Wick Area Consultation Meeting at Bullen Hall was devoted to the hugely unpopular Tory proposal to amend the Unitary Development Plan to;

(1) remove protected status from part of the Collis School Playing fields;

(2) build ten key worker housing units on the site

Nobody in the crowded hall had a problem with rebuilding the school but felt that when there was a definite proposal this should be considered on its merits balancing the educational need against the open space arguments.

This was exactly what had happened as regards the new primary school next to Orleans Park Secondary. Instead the Tories were building into the UDP a proposal for a smaller playing field for a bigger school by taking part of the site for housing.

Cllr Arbour was left alone defending the scheme as his fellow Tory Councillors Roger Avins and Pat Parsons were entirely mute about a scheme in their own ward.

The Teddington Lib Dem Councillors James Mumford, Stephen Knight and Martin Elengorn however joined the audience in vigorously challenging the scheme.

At one point Arbour claimed that Collis had too large a playing field, even if it became 3-form entry. He then admitted that the regular use of the playing field by nearby Sacred Heart School (with very small grounds) had probably not been taken into account. He promised to publicise the recalculation.

He conceded that this proposal was the only one in a 10 year plan for the borough providing key worker housing but seemed unwilling to commit more suitable and readily available sites or buildings to this purpose.

At one point he appeared to be blaming the proposal on the officers but was finally forced to take responsibility for it. Later he claimed he would be delighted if the Inspector recommended turning it down and would accept the Inspector's view. But he rapidly retracted this commitment.

He also implied that the proposal might be modified yet again and that any de-designation would be reversed by some unexplained process if not all the land was wanted.

Commented Cllr Martin Elengorn: "It was a most bizarre solo performance, ducking and weaving and totally unable to explain why de-designation was necessary in the first place. His Tory colleagues' silence spoke volumes. The proposal to sugar the pill of re-development by making it key worker housing badly misfired when a teacher in the audience pointed out that the last thing teachers wanted was to live over the shop. "

"Much more than 10 units in 10 years were wanted. As this scheme has been further modified residents have until 3rd June to object and Arbour can still step back from this misconceived plan. "

END

For further information, contact Cllr Elengorn at 020 8977 1187 (Home) or 020 7898 1741 (Office)