Princess Mary Gate – Are they already trying to pull one over us?

Wendover residents living near the new Princess Mary building site are up in arms again. A new planning application has been submitted. They claim it is for new units that are in excess of the original 400 permitted.

They have shared with me a letter sent to the Wendover Parish council

RE: planning application 10/10/00157/APP


We would like to raise our objection to the planning application for the erection of three 3 bedroom houses and one 2 bed apartment at the site of NAAFI Babington Rd, Halton Camp. These homes were not on the original plans.


As you know, the Princess Mary Gate development of 400 dwellings and hospital was very controversial and many concessions have already been made. There was a strong feeling at the time from both councillors and the public that if we are to live with this development, no further homes should be added to the site. The site is next to and within an area of outstanding natural beauty and the development’s size is already an overbearing presence on the natural environment.


From our personal standpoint, the latest plan to build homes next to our property will have serious consequences regarding the following:

•       Overshadowing
•       Overlooking and loss of privacy
•       Overbearing nature of proposal
•       Loss of trees
•       Loss of ecological habitats
•       Design and appearance
•       Layout and density of buildings
•       Effect on listed buildings and conservation areas
•       Noise and disturbance from the scheme

With this in mind, we expect the Wendover Parish Council to have serious concerns about the site being further developed and with this latest application, the scale of the proposed dwellings considering the amount of space available and the proximity to other homes including our own.

To illustrate the consequences of the application, we have created a photo mock-up showing you the before and after effects of the plan (see attached). We have used an existing building from our area that matches the intentions of the developers, so it should be a close fit to the final look. Even if the design is different, the height is indicative. We have not included the one 2 bed apartment in this photo as we cannot envisage where it will be placed in such a small area of land, but we feel it will have a more negative impact and look more of an eyesore than the one already envisaged here.

Alas, I will not be able to attend the Parish Council meeting (I am not sure this subject will come up). However, People in the know have suggested the correct address is AVDC/Development Control where residents are allowed to present their objections.

Give them a finger they will want the whole hand.