Following weeks of talking to residents our team in Cox Green, Chris Moriarty and Gary Reeves, were concerned about how few residents were aware about the proposed development on the corner of Woodlands Park Road and Woodlands Park Avenue; dubbed the ‘Lillibrooke Development’.
To understand the current level of awareness for this development, and what support it had among residents, the team circulated a survey through social media and e-newsletters which over 250 residents completed.
The inclusion of this site in the Borough Local Plan (BLP) has been under discussion for almost a decade with a consultation in 2016 attracting 64 responses (only 4 were positive) but residents were caught on the backfoot when leaflets inviting residents to an open day at Cox Green Community Centre from developers starting dropping through doors in October.
The key results were:
75% were unaware that the site is set for up to 300 dwellings, 94% of residents oppose this.
81% were unaware that the site was removed from the green belt by Conservatives, 92% oppose this move.
Only 38% of respondents were aware of the BLP and of those only 42% were aware of this particular development.
Of those that were unaware of plans, 97% said that their local Borough Councillors should have done more to keep them informed.
Cox Green Councillors, both Conservative, were extremely vocal when raising awareness and concerns for a smaller development on Canon Lane in 2018 (221 homes) but it would appear a similar effort was not made to engage residents with this particular development.
The report highlights the communication breakdown between residents and those elected to represent them and their concerns.