How was this Marsworth canal planning application slipped through with no-one noticing?

I've often taken a neutral position about the way British Waterways is selling off a lot of its property.   I often feel uneasy about it, but I don't feel qualified to comment.  

However, normally there's a bit of consultation, particularly with commercial sites, and it crawls through planning applications and appeals with good due process.

But today I'm astonished to learn that the old BW yard at the bottom of the Marsworth lock flight - just by the start of the Aylesbury Canal Arm - is subject to a planning application for its demolition, and it seems to have taken canal lovers by surprise.

(Google Maps location here.)

This location isn't just a canal junction and BW works yard.  It's long been a key stopping place for boaters, being the only sanitary station, refuse disposal and watering point between Cowroast and Leighton Buzzard, a day and 17 locks apart. 

What's most astonishing is that this comes only a few days before the application goes before a planning committee, and any objections are supposed to be in by Wednesday November 25th.

Actually, there are TWO planning applications lodged with Aylesbury Council:

1. 09/01945/APP -  Demolition of existing buildings and erection of 14 dwellings and associated works.
2. 09/01946/ACD -  Demolition of industrial and British Waterways operational buildings.

I'm ignorant as to why there are two applications, or what the difference might be.  Could they be tactical, with one of them being 'surrenderable'?

The applications have been submitted by H2Ourban, the (pretentiously named) development partnership between BW and Bloc, 'the urban regeneration arm of the Kilmartin Property Group'.  Contact details for the relevant Bloc and British Waterways people here. 

(I can't see a single reference to boats on the H2Ourban website.  No, wait, to be fair there's a small reference on the BW section to 'open up and reinvigorate old waterways, attract more boating and leisure activity and protect and enhance the environment.')

All praise to a bunch of people on the Canal World forums for raising this issue, in a thread titled BW Planning Application, Marsworth yard demolition  

Key influencers in this story include:

Corry Cashman, local  Marsworth councillor.
John Bercow, local MP and Speaker of the Commons.

One problem with trying to get the local MP involved is that you'll have to be a local voter.  That'll be a problem for canal boaters, especially continuous cruisers.

On the plus side, as Speaker, John Bercow isn't hidebound by the official positions of the parties if they are against you.

On the minus side, as Speaker, John Bercow isn't hidebound by the official positions of the parties if they are on your side.

You can read the Canal World thread and sieve out the information (can you see why I haven't the patience for forums?).  Or you can just jump in with the information I've given you here, and muscle around like the irritable boaters you no doubt are!

Comments

[Debbi]

Some more information regarding the plans.
The boater’s facilities won’t be lost, there’s actually going to be more and at two different sites. This is very good news indeed. It can get very busy here, particularly during the summer. A new Elsan, water, rubbish and recycling facility is proposed at nearby Red Lion Bridge which will be open before the old one closes down. There is also a proposal for additional facilities at Startops.
The wonderful crane is being kept and refurbished. The wharf is being retained too although it’s going to be in a slightly different position.
BW staff currently working at Marsworth are going to be relocated to the Grade II listed Tringford pumping station which is going to be refurbished using funds from the redevelopment. 50% of any profits from the development will go to British Waterways will be reinvested in the care of the waterways. BW’s property portfolio currently pays for roughly half of all annual maintenance which is why it’s so important the property portfolio stays with BW and is not sold off by the government.
The housing bit is apparently sustainable and green and designed with a reduced carbon footprint. and traffic impact on the local roads has been minimised by keeping the housing density lower than the national policy guidance of a minimum of 30 dwellings per hectare
So all in all it’s not bad at all, in fact it sounds like good news. I’m sure we’ll all be very interested in the planning application as it progresses and more details become available.

[Andrew Denny]

Thanks, Wozie! Have used one your pics, and linked to you for the rest.
Andrew

[Wozie]

Thanks for highlighting this on your site.
We are moored at Marsworth and have been to take some photos of the site today.
If you wish you can poach the pictures as your site is more widely read than ours.
We are on your bloglist NB Oakfield.

[Baz Juniper]

The second application is for Conservation Area Consent - CAC for short - which is needed to authorise demolition of most types of structure in a conservation area. This comes under different legislation to the 1990 Town & Country Planning Act under which normal planning applications are made. So now you know....

[Martin Clark]

I expect the owners of any new houses built here will soon be complaining to BW about those nasty boats moored along the canal outside their windows. I expect BW will then put up No Mooring notices...