Thank you for highlighting in your paper the anger felt locally over the proposed installation of a 12.5 metre phone mast together with three cabinets outside the boundary fence of Auriol Park, Worcester Park.
As a local resident fighting this proposed installation I would like to explain other objections which I believe should have been taken into consideration before this application was nodded through by the planning department.
Under the guidelines "the site when observed from any side" should have been looked at. This was clearly not done.
The trees referred to by the spokesman for CTIL are just a backdrop. The mast and cabinets would be clearly visible when approaching from either Auriol Park Road or Salisbury Road. Furthermore the security of the park, after it is locked each evening, has been ignored and therefore compromised. The proposed height of the cabinets when positioned in front of the park boundary fence would provide easy access to the park at night. Also, graffiti has once again become a problem in the alleyways surrounding the park and the proposal is to supply three blank canvasses, in the form of cabinets, for the local artists.
We as local residents under the 56 day rule have been denied our chance to put our case before the full planning committee. The application arrived at the council on 18 November and we were given until 12 December to send in any objections. The full planning meetings were on 4 December (too early) and not again until the 15 January. A decision needed to be made by 12 January.
Some have commented how cynical of CTIL to time it so perfectly as to deny the local people a hearing, especially when a previous application 10 years ago was turned down by the local planning committee. It seems ironic when our local MP Chris Grayling is the Justice Secretary that we have been denied justice in this case.
We had asked in early December, via our local councillor, for the January meeting to be moved forward but were told this was not possible. Hopefully the planning committee of Epsom and Ewell Council will look at this anomaly to avoid this situation arising again.
Mrs PE Wraight
via email
- Send your letters to: letters@epsomguardian.co.uk
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