The Marylebone Association, especially its planning team, has worked hard to press home the message that when the Council plans to develop part of a site in the centre of a community it must have a picture of what it wants the whole site to look like and for what purpose. What does that mean in practical terms?
It means thinking about the High Street and the shops leading off it. Can these be serviced better if we take the opportunity to change the road structure of Aybrook Street, Moxon Street and Cramer Street? Do we have an adequate site for the main supermarket in the area, and does this give us an opportunity to create some more space. Are there retail activities missing in Marylebone which should be planned for? Some of these might well relate to the needs of the WAES centre and others that build upon the recent success of the High Street. The Council has said that there has been local call for these to be considered, but this has largely been because their consultation did not allow for the questions to be asked.
Then there is the recurring question of whether we plan for the growing needs of children in the area. From pre-school through to sixth form there are big weaknesses in the education offered to children in Marylebone, many of which are masked by the presumption that all of its residents are affluent and want (and are able) to use the private sector. Given that the catalyst for the debate about the use of the Moxon Street site has been the need to find a site for adult education, it seems only appropriate that we should ask that this be used as an opportunity to look at the local authority's provision for children as well.
The Association met representatives of the Howard de Walden Estate on 23rd March to discuss their plans for the site, and they are keen to develop the whole site in a way that serves the community. The plans include room for a new doctors' surgery and for a community nursery, as well as improvements to Waitrose store and loading bay, and great pedestrian priority on the roads affected by the development. Details of their proposal and the consultation dates, giving residents an opportunity to put their questions to the HDWE are also in this newsletter.
Finally, I was pleased to see our local MP take up the issue of State Schools in a parliamentary debate in March. In his speech, Mark Field echoed our concerns that the choice seems to be that we pay or pray, because there is no secular local authority school within the large area covered by the Marylebone Association and nothing at all for boys over the age of 11.
