It is very rare I use this column to talk about a planning application but on Monday night I spoke in favour of one at Telford Place that I am very pleased that was agreed to.  If you don’t immediately recognise where Telford Place is, it is the land between the Library and the railway line that until recently was being used as a car park.

300 new homes, all affordable, at a town centre location on a key regeneration site would be a huge success on any measure. But with 100 specifically for older people, 100 shared ownership for first time buyers and key workers and 100 affordable rented, the latter which will be council homes.  This is going to bring a huge benefit to a great many people, the majority of who are going to be local, at a time they are needed more than ever.

There were objections, principally on the grounds that there would be a loss of an oak tree as part of the development works.

Clearly no one takes any pleasure in removing this oak tree, least of all myself, but sadly in this case it has to be done to achieve a greater good.

The council’s arboricultural officer has also stated that the considerable landscaping scheme is sufficient to offset the loss of the oak tree.  The conditions attached would give a total of up to 313 new trees to be planted to cover this loss.

All options were looked into that might retain the tree, but sadly none of these options were feasible.

Access to the development from Southgate Avenue would have decimated the Council’s site, dividing it in two, with much of the site then being needed for highways, vastly reducing the number of residential units that could then be achieved.  Other options would also have removed virtually all parking provision from the library.

Agreement to proceed by the planning committee was therefore very much the right decision.  I look forward to them being built and people benefitting from their new homes – and this is one further step nearer that.

Cllr Michael Jones

Leader, Crawley Borough Council