UPDATE REPORT: 11 September
PLANS to build the biggest housing development in Penn and Tylers Green’s history have been rejected by a Government planning inspector.
Builders Taylor Wimpey wanted to build 544 houses, a school, employment buildings and community centre in the Gomm Valley between Hammersley Lane and Cock Lane, Tylers Green.
But after a six week public inquiry in the spring the inspector, Matthew Woodward has today refused planning permission because the development would have generated so much extra traffic it would bring gridlock to the A40.
The decision will be greeted with relief by hundreds of local protestors, Buckinghamshire Council and environmental groups who objected to the proposal, but it was a close run thing.
Mr Woodward found that concerns about biodiversity, ancient woodland impact, visual aspects, the proposed road layout and fears the development would in effect join up Tylers Green to High Wycombe were insufficient to warrant rejection.
But he ruled that the impact on the already congested A40 Wycombe to Loudwater road would be overwhelming, particularly when traffic generated by other developments already in the pipeline were added.
Traffic modelling suggested that two of the six road junctions in the area would be over-capacity and the other four near capacity at peak times.
“The cumulative impact on the (road) network would be severe, resulting in unacceptable highway safety impacts,” he said in his report.
Taylor Wimpey said they were disappointed with the decision and are considering their next steps. They pointed out the site has been allocated for housing development by the council for several years.
The company could return with an application for a smaller development, but in his report Mr Woodward says: “There is no more than a theoretical prospect of an alternative scheme coming forwards on this site any time soon that accords with (the council’s) development brief, thus no credible alternative with a real prospect of being delivered.”
*There will be further analysis and reaction to this significant decision in the October blog.
Objections as Penn’s new-look Crown pub seeks hours extension
PENN parish councillors are objecting to a licence application by The Crown in Church Road to remain open until half past midnight Sunday to Friday and 1.30am on Saturdays.
The 16th century pub is currently undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment and will reopen next month.
In addition to new late opening it also wants to open from 8am so it can provide breakfasts – a plan the parish councillors have no objection to.
The pub wants to serve alcohol from 9am until midnight Monday to Friday; 9am to 1am on Saturdays and from 9am to 11.30pm on Sundays.
However, Penn Parish Council has told the Bucks licensing sub-committee, which will decide on The Crown’s application, that other pubs in the village close at 11pm and it would prefer to see a standard evening closing time across the area.
The parish councillors are also concerned about noise disturbing residents of the Penn Mead sheltered housing unit next door.
Crafted Pubs, part of the Greene King group which owns The Crown, says it will present seasonally adjusted menus, all-day Sunday roasts, British steaks and house-made pizzas. It will serve local beers and a wide variety of wines and cocktails.
It plans to employ 45 people, predominantly local, and is currently recruiting. It says it will take measures to ensure late night guests leave quietly.
General manager, Alan Morrison, said: “As a long-standing and popular destination for customers from surrounding villages and those exploring nearby walking trails, The Crown will be an inviting and exciting place to visit.”
Has someone unearthed buried ‘treasure’ in Tylers Green?
AN INQUEST is to be held to determine if an artefact found in Chepping Wycombe – the area that includes Tylers Green – is to be officially declared a treasure. No details have been given although it’s thought the artefact was unearthed by a metal detector operator.
There’s been increased metal detector activity in the Gomm Valley, between Cock Lane and Hammersley Lane, Tylers Green where Taylor Wimpey want to build over 500 houses.
If the coroner declares the object “treasure” independent experts will value the item which must then be offered to a museum. If a museum is not interested or cannot raise the funds the finder can keep it or sell privately.
Last year the Government expanded the definition of “treasure” under a new Treasure Act. Now items can be legally classified as treasure if they are more than 300 years old and made of precious metal or are part of a collection of valuable objects.
Tylers Green charity fund-raisers invited to the Vatican
TYLERS Green charity fund-raisers Ron and Pat Hedley have been invited to the Vatican to spread the word about their walks to raise cash for Prostate Cancer UK.
The couple, from Old Kiln Road, met members of the Vatican cricket team at a tournament at the Wormsley cricket ground near Stokenchurch in the summer.
After hearing about the cause they were invited to Rome to meet more members of the team and the ever growing number of Italian cricket lovers.
Cricket clubs throughout the country have been very supportive of Ron’s sponsored walks – so far nearly £50,000 has been raised for the Bob Willis Fund, which works with Prostate Cancer UK to fund vital research.
Ron, who is being treated for prostate cancer himself, had planned to conclude his two years worth of walks with a visit to Lord’s this month to coincide with his 75th birthday. That’s still on, but as he’s feeling up for it and as the campaign continues to gain momentum, yet more walks are in the pipeline.
Next month Ron and Pat are joining members of Luton Town Football Club for a prostate cancer charity day at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden, and there are walks in Sunderland and at the TV venue for The Yorkshire Farm, near Barnsley.
Last month they were featured on TV with village residents Kenny and Gabby Logan during the West Indies test match at Edgbaston.
You can donate to Ron’s March at https://bobwillisfund.org/ronsmarch
Local news
Pubs protected – Two pubs, The Squirrel in Penn Street and The Lion of Beaconsfield in Knotty Green have been recognised as “assets of community value” which means they have additional protection from any redevelopment. Should they come on the market the local community would have first priority to buy and preserve them as pubs and be given six months to raise the funds to purchase.
Dead fish mystery – The water in Widmer Pond on the common is being tested after 20 dead fish were discovered on the surface for no apparent reason.
Schools full – Penn’s MP Sarah Green told the House of Commons that many parents in her constituency (Chesham and Amersham) who will not be able to afford private school fees when VAT is imposed will struggle to find places for their children in local state schools because they are already over-subscribed.
Supermarket change – Shell has announced that from November Waitrose will no longer operate its mini-supermarket at the Hazlemere Crossroads petrol station. A new independent retailer will continue to sell some Waitrose products.
Golden celebrations – Manor Farm Junior School in Rose Avenue is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month with a barbecue evening organised by the Parent Teachers Association and including former pupils, parents and staff.
Cricket champions – Penn and Tylers Green Cricket Club’s 1st XI finished top of the Berkshire, Chilterns and Mid-Bucks Championship after a terrific season where they lost only two games. Squad picture by P&TG Cricket Club.
Traffic rethink – Talks are to be held to try and prevent traffic chaos at next year’s Bucks Country Show on the Penn House Estate. Problems with the car payments system and a broken down vehicle blocking the entrance brought gridlock to Penn Street and Winchmore Hill at this year’s event in May. Villagers complained they couldn’t get in or out of their homes for hours.
Squirrels menace – A drone survey has revealed an increasing population of grey squirrels is causing an increasing amount of damage to trees in Common Wood, Penn. Plans are in hand to conduct a cull.
Church snub – The Methodist Church has been refused permission to convert Winchmore Hill Methodist Church into a house because it has not demonstrated that the building could be used for other community purposes. The church closed three years ago when its congregation fell to six, all aged over 70. Buckinghamshire Council said the church should try to find someone willing to take it over for community use, such as a nursery or day centre, before opting for housing.
Scouts jumble – Penn and Tylers Green scout group holds its autumn jumble sale in the village hall next month, Saturday 19 October.
Third time lucky? – A third attempt to build a house to replace Gorse Glade at the bottom of the back common in Tylers Green is being made after the first two tries for planning permission failed because councillors deemed the plans out of character.
Sunday funerals – Burials at the Penn Road cemetery by Hazlemere Crossroads will be able to be held on Sundays from this month although they will remain exempt on religious bank holidays, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.
Farewell Alan
ALAN PAGE, a village man who tried to become the Wycombe MP representing the Social Democratic Party in 1983, has died at his home in Spain aged 90. He came a respectable second in the election collecting over 14,000 votes.
Born into a well-known family at Ferndale Cottages on the back common, Alan’s childhood was spent in wartime Penn and Tylers Green.
In 1941 he helped the police and army personnel searching for the murderer Harold Hill following the tragic deaths of two young girls in the village. Aged just eight he attended an identification parade with his father as he had been offered – and rejected – a ride in Hill’s army lorry the day before the girls were killed.
He was involved in the motor trade for many years before becoming a driving instructor. He loved the village and had a lively interest in local politics and local groups. He was a leading figure in the action group High Wycombe Pensioners Voice.
Dr Mosley’s final plea
IN ONE of his final actions before he went on the holiday in which he was to lose his life, TV doctor Michael Mosley wrote a letter of objection to a planning application in Penn.
Investment manager Tristan Ramus wants convert a field behind his mansion Penn Grove in Witheridge Lane, into an orchard and wildflower meadow (see June blog).
Dr Mosley, who lived about a mile away in Penn Road, Knotty Green, objected to the scheme. In an email to the council dated 1 June, three days before he was to fly with his wife to the Greek island of Symi, he said: “The proposed development will be in Green Belt and encroach on public rights of ways. It is out of keeping with the area.”
A number of other near neighbours, together with the parish council and the Chiltern Society, have made similar objections. Buckinghamshire Council is yet to make a decision.
The inquest into Dr Mosley’s death will be held in Beaconsfield in November.
Exit Lord Freddie, our exemplary earl
QUIETLY, and typically without any fuss, one of Britain’s most remarkable political careers has come to a close.
Earl Howe, of Penn House, was by far the longest continual front bench spokesman in Parliament.
He represented the Conservative front bench for 33 years and was a minister for 20 years. He served six prime ministers and three leaders of the opposition.
But shortly after July’s general election the 73 year old earl relinquished his final front bench role as deputy leader of the House of Lords. And soon he will be out of the House of Lords altogether as the Government prepares to abolish the remaining 92 hereditary peers.
He has no regrets however. “I’m looking forward to being a very active back-bencher,” he told The House Magazine, Parliament’s in-house publication. He’s also looking forward to supporting his wife Elizabeth who is Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, the king’s representative in the county.
Earl Howe – Freddie to his friends – admits to being a Tory “wet”, closest to the views of John Major, but political friends and opponents alike told The House Magazine that he is “hard working and a great pourer of oil on troubled waters.”
“If I lay courtesy on with a trowel that’s because courtesy is important to our debates. I don’t flannel – I say what I mean,” he told the publication.
He was amused when the Parliamentary sketch writer Quentin Letts described him as a “perfect fit behind the complaints desk at Luton Airport.”
Parliament’s loss is our gain however. He will have more time to concentrate on local activities – he has a number of local roles including patron of the Chiltern Society, president of the Penn and Tylers Green Residents’ Society and vice-president of Knotty Green Cricket Club…not to mention several grandchildren!
A wandering upward path
MEANWHILE, while one political star fades, another rises.
The Wycombe (and Tylers Green) MP Emma Reynolds has been given a key appointment in the new Government.
She has been made the Pensions Minister but, for the first time, working with two bosses – Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.
Pensions expert Helen Morrissey told the Financial Times that Ms Reyolds’ appointment brought ‘enormous hope” of a more joined up approach to pension policy.
“It’s a challenging role and she will need to get to grips with a bulging inbox. Top of this will be Labour’s promised pension review,” she said.
It’s a big job, but 46 year old Ms Reynolds is no stranger to the workings of Parliament. She was first elected in Wolverhampton North East in 2010 and remained its MP for nine years.
During that time she was a shadow Europe and then shadow housing minister and later promoted to the shadow cabinet responsible for communities and local government. A moderate, she resigned when left-winger Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader.
After leaving uni (Wadhams College, Oxford) she worked in Brussels as a researcher for small businesses and then political advisor to the confederation of centre-left political parties.
She then worked in Westminster as a lobbyist before becoming an MP. For the five years before this year’s election – when she was out of office – she was managing director of a group lobbying the Government on behalf of Britain’s financial sector.
She speaks three languages; is married to Richard, a solicitor, and lives in Holmer Green. They have two boys aged seven and five.
However, as a former football player and fan of the game there remains an elephant in the room which, for some reason, didn’t seem to emerge in the election campaign.
As an ex- Wolverhampton MP she unsurprisingly supported the admirable Wolverhampton Wanderers. But now she represents a constituency that includes the even mightier Wycombe Wanderers will she switch allegiance? The public need to know!
Succeeding on the socials…
THE local Labour Party thinks its heavy reliance on social media during the election campaign was a key factor in Wycombe returning its first Labour MP for 73 years.
Ms Reynolds told The Times that many people greeted her with “you’re the woman from YouTube” .
On the campaign trail a determined 18 year old strode towards her saying: “You’re Emma Reynolds. I’ve got a question to ask you”.
Uh oh. Was it to be the Middle East, student fees or immigration?
The teenager looked her straight in the eye and asked: “Who runs the Labour TikTok?”
Rayner gives the all clear to Rayners
ANGELA Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has raised no objections to the namesake development to convert the former Penn School into a luxury hotel complex to be called Rayners, Penn.
The scheme was referred to her in her role as Secretary for State for Housing, Communities and Local Government because it lies in Green Belt.
In a letter to Buckinghamshire Council the department said Ms Rayner would not be calling in the plan for further examination and was happy to leave the final decision to the council.
That final decision is likely to be made this month. The council has already agreed the £93m plan subject to an agreement between the council and the developer on who pays for what, known as a Section 106 agreement. Those discussions are expected to conclude shortly.
A mindfulness studio; a wine room and a dining tower: all part of Rayners luxurious future
MEANWHILE, more details of the conversion of the old Penn School have emerged showing that the hotel site, while retaining its historic and listed building features, will also contain the height of 21st century luxury. Here’s a quick run-down:
Rayners House
- The hotel company says it will restore the main house using traditional materials and craftsmanship. The conservatory will also be restored to its original form.
- The 1960s school extension buildings will be demolished and a “fine dining restaurant and cookery school” built in its place.
- A private dining tower is proposed beyond the restaurant with a rooftop terrace providing views of the Rayners estate.
- A cinema, wine room and function room will be constructed on the lower ground floor connected by a “feature staircase”.
- Fifteen bedroom suites will be featured in the main house
- The former stables area will be repurposed into a bistro
Wellness Spa
- An all-weather wellness spa is proposed north west of Rayners House.
- The spa will comprise a “mindfulness studio”, swimming pool, thermal suite, wet relaxation area and Finnish sauna.
- The basement will comprise nine treatment rooms, a double VIP treatment room, a relaxation lounge and gym facilities.
- The building will incorporate and restore existing structures such as the Gothic porch, the forge and chicken shed, the garden walls, the gardener’s bothy and former orangery.
- It will provide four spa bedroom suites, six garden bedroom suites and two orangery bedroom suites centred around a Cloister Garden.
The gardens and former waterworks
- The former waterworks near Rayners House will be transformed into a block known as Church Cottage, containing three suites around a lounge/dining hall in a secluded setting.
- The kitchen garden and walled garden will be restored and a new parterre garden provided.
- The original boating lake with its derelict island pavilion is to be restored and a new boathouse built.
- Scores of trees and a “swathe of bunding” will be incorporated to screen the complex from nearby residential properties.
Very special circumstances
- The site falls within the the Chilterns National Landscape and is in Green Belt but deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and councillors agreed with planners that “very special circumstances do exist in the form of heritage, economic and other benefits which outweigh the relatively small reduction in the openness in the Green Belt.”
- Rayners Penn say they expect the hotel to employ 149 people and create 45 “spin off” jobs in the local economy. They anticipate spending £2.4million a year with local businesses and supply chains. In addition they say 390 construction jobs will be created in the conversion work, which is expected to get underway within months.
*Sarah Patterson, the oldest living direct descendent of Sir Philip Rose, who built the original Rayners, has given her family’s full backing for the project. “It will be restored to its former glory and I know my mother and grandparents would be really happy to see this,” she told councillors.
See the end of this blog for the important history of Rayners.
*Buckinghamshire Council has granted Rayners conditional planning permission to convert the former music shop Strings in Elm Road, Penn into offices which will serve the hotel.
Month-long fire was a potential health risk
A LOCAL newspaper has revealed that a fire that burned for a month on a Hazlemere building site in April and May did contain chemicals that can be a risk to human health (see June blog).
A report by an independent environmental company said that samples of the dumped waste set alight by fly-tippers in a field by the Amersham Road contained chemical compounds called TPH, found in crude oil.
Some of the compounds can irritate skin and eyes – conditions which some neighbours said they suffered from whilst smoke was being emitted from the site.
The Bucks Free Press tried for weeks to obtain a copy of the report which had been commissioned by Bellway housing group who have permission to build 259 homes on the field, opposite the junction with Gravelly Way. Buckinghamshire Council and the Environment Agency refused to release their copies but eventually Bellway sent the newspaper a redacted copy of it.
Bellway said that on 25 April concrete barriers protecting the site were dislodged and up to 70 lorry loads of mixed waste dumped and set alight.
The fire brigade settled the worst of the blaze but the fire had spread underground ensuring smoke continued to emerge from the area, affecting nearby properties. Investigations continue to try and identify the culprits.
Cliveden’s collapsing wall gets a make-over
TODAY, the National Trust’s Cliveden Estate is very welcoming to visitors and, together with Hughenden, is our top local tourist attraction.
But it hasn’t always been so.
About 130 years ago the millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who lived there, in effect barricaded himself in so he wouldn’t come face to face with the locals, so paranoid was he about assassination.
“Astor hated the public…and threw a huge stone wall around the property surmounted by jagged bits of glass,” wrote Virginia Cowles in her book The Astors.
But Astor’s wall is suffering from old age. In fact a few years ago the Trust had to do some emergency repointing and, as a temporary measure, prop up the wall running alongside the famous Long Garden in Bourne End Road because it was in imminent danger of falling down.
Not only had the weather taken its toll but at some stage before Trust involvement someone had “repaired” the wall with cement mortar which eventually led to more damage.
Now the Trust has applied for planning permission to spend thousands doing a proper job of repairing the wall. The plan, they say, is to retain the wall rather than rebuild it, repoint it with a traditional lime mortar; replace bricks that are beyond repair with new ones that match the existing, and take action to prevent further leaning and general deterioration.
Facts and fantasy
FIFTEEN years ago this month Andrew (now Lord) Adonis, the Transport Secretary at the time, revealed plans for HS2 in an interview with The Guardian.
In it he said the London to Birmingham stretch could be operating by 2020 with the £7 billion pound cost likely to be met by public-private partnership. Eventually, he said, HS2 would run from London to Scotland cutting journey times to three and a half hours.
And what’s happened?
- We’ll be lucky if the London to Birmingham line is operating before 2033.
- When the Government scrapped the idea of extending it beyond Birmingham last year the expected cost had risen from the estimated £7 billion to £100 billion plus.
- In July this year the National Audit Office said that HS2’s estimate for completing the London to Birmingham stretch alone will be £57 billion.
- And all of it funded by the taxpayer.
*HS2 has received special permission to destroy 75 metres of the Scheduled Ancient Monument Grim’s Ditch near Great Missenden to enable the railway to cross. Grim’s Ditch is a 18km Iron Age earthwork running from Bradenham to Berkhamsted across the Chilterns. The company has paid for archeological work to be completed.
Regional news
Ready for action – A year ago this Belgian Malinois was underweight, in poor health and abandoned tied up to a road sign in Slough. But the dog rescue kennels realised she was an intelligent dog willing to learn and offered her to the police. Now, aged two and named Mally, she has passed her training tests with flying colours and last month began her new life as a police dog. Picture: Slough Council.
Costly litter – Fines for throwing litter from car windows have been increased from £150 to £500 in Buckinghamshire. The fine – which increases to £1,000 if not paid in 28 days – will be imposed on the registered vehicle owner even if it is a passenger who throws the rubbish.
RAF base scheme – Plans to convert RAF Halton into a community of 1,000 homes with new school and community centre are being drawn up. The RAF is due to leave the base in 2027 and it’s expected the conversion will be completed early next decade.
Midwife shortage – In an attempt to fill a 20 per cent shortfall in midwives, Buckinghamshire NHS Trust is trying to recruit more midwives from abroad and offering posts to students due to qualify this year.
Smartphones banned – New pupils starting at Eton College this term are not allowed smartphones. They’ll receive a basic phone that only enables calls and texts. Currently boys in the first three years of the college have to hand their smartphones in at night. The move follows growing concerns about the negative impact smartphone access can have on young teenagers.
Parking fiasco – Parking machines in the Amersham area council car parks have proved so inefficient and unreliable the council is buying 22 new machines from another supplier at a cost of up to a quarter of a million pounds.
New hospital – A brand new hospital to replace the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the centre of Reading is being planned. It will either be just off the M4 at Shinfield or off the A329M near Woodley.
Fire service falling short – A Government inspection of Buckinghamshire’s Fire Service, which highlighted three areas that gave cause for concern in a visit last year, says improvements are still needed. Its report says the service is still not adequately identifying and prioritising those most at risk from fire.
Swan numbers dive – The number of swans on the River Thames has dropped 45 per cent in the last two years this summer’s swan census discovered. Avian flu, vandalism and the Spring rain washing away breeding nests is thought responsible.
Special needs school -The Government has agreed to pay for a new school in Buckinghamshire catering for 152 children with special educational needs. Discussions are underway on where it will be sited.
Foreign buyers – Both of Buckinghamshire’s football league clubs are now in foreign hands following the purchase of Milton Keynes Dons by a Kuwaiti consortium from entrepreneur Pete Winkelman. Wycombe Wanderers was bought by Georgian billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze in May.
Speed reductions – The speed limit on the A40 between Holtspur and Beaconsfield is to be reduced from 50mph to 40 mph. The stretch of the Penn Road between Knotty Green and Beaconsfield is being reduced from 40mph to 30mph.
Rayners – the grand county house that hosted royalty and a prime minister
WHEN THE transformed and fully restored Rayners is eventually completed, probably in two or three years time, it’s intended that history tours will be offered to local schools and village groups.
The building, and the man who built it, have played a truly momentous part in Tylers Green’s development.
Philip Rose was born into an influential High Wycombe family in 1816. His father William was a former Wycombe mayor and local surgeon but Philip chose to make his reputation, and his fortune, in law.
He was a man of extraordinary energy and campaigning zeal – he was just 25 when he played a key role in launching the Hospital for Consumption, today’s Brompton Hospital in London, after one of his clerks was unable to get treatment for tuberculosis.
It was hardly a surprise therefore when he moved into politics and became a close friend of the dynamic politician of the day, Benjamin Disraeli.
In 1845 Philip bought a couple of farms in Penn – one called Rayners – and by 1847 his new mansion was built. The following year, after becoming the local MP, Disraeli moved into Hughenden Manor on the other side of the valley.
The Rayners estate quickly took on a dominant role in a growing Tylers Green, employing over half the village working population. Philip became the community’s biggest benefactor, funding the building of St Margaret’s Church in 1854 – even though he was a Catholic – and helping secure the building of Tylers Green School (now the First School), laying its foundation stone in 1875.
When Disraeli began his second term as prime minister in 1874, one of his first actions was to make Philip, by now his personal lawyer and financial advisor, a baronet.
After Disraeli’s death in 1881 Queen Victoria visited Rayners as part of her mourning. She wanted to retrace her favourite prime minister’s final journey, which had included Rayners.
When Sir Philip’s son, also Philip, inherited after his father’s death in 1883 Rayners became a centre of social activity in the village and a classic Victorian country house. The gardens were magnificent and the gardener’s bothy and accompanying trellis – both recently listed – were widely visited.
Nearly everyone in Tylers Green attended Rayners to celebrate the end of the First World War when Sir Philip organised a grand firework display.
However tragedies in the war had devastated the family and shortly after the second Sir Philip’s death in 1919 and facing heavy costs, the estate was broken up and sold.
In 1922 the London County Council bought the house and its immediate surrounds and converted Rayners into a school for deaf children from the capital.
You can contact this blog at peter@pennandtylersgreen.com It will be next fully updated on 1 October