See www.ascotcentreconsultation.co.uk      See PETITION objecting to release of Green Belt Land - http://petitions.rbwm.gov.uk/AscotCentreGB/ 

Following last week's Open Day on Ascot High Street Redevelopment Development Brief,  the Ascot Sunninghill and Sunningdale Neighbourhood Plan Delivery Group (NPDG) has issued the following statement and appeal to local residents to support their objection to  land south of Ascot High Street being released from Green Belt.  The NPDG feels that the Ascot Centre Developement Brief proposals undermine the principles as set down by the Prince's Foundation Report 2012 - upon which the Neighbourhood Plan was built..

Visit the Neighbourhood Plan Delivery Group’s website (www.ascotandthesunningsnp.com) for more information (see Recent Posts).

The Ascot Centre proposals are available to view on the consortium’s website www.ascotcentreconsultation.co.uk.  They are inviting responses through a feedback form. Closing date is 19th December 2016.

NPDG STATEMENT| Ascot Centre Development Proposals a Betrayal of the Local Community

According to the Ascot, Sunninghill and Sunningdale Neighbourhood Plan Delivery Group (“ASandS NPDG”) the proposals presented at the Open Day on 1^st December by a consortium of landowners and developers for the development of Ascot Centre and the High Street are totally unacceptable and would represent a betrayal of the local community if they went ahead.

The proposals from the consortium, which includes Ascot Racecourse, Bloor Homes and Ascot Car Parks, completely fail to reflect the vision for the rejuvenation of Ascot developed by The Prince’s Foundation with the local community back in 2012 and do not respect what is included in our adopted Neighbourhood Plan.  

The original vision which the community bought into was for a rejuvenation of Ascot by making the High Street two-sided, with small scale retail and other businesses, improving the traffic flow for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, providing sufficient car parking and creating a village square with a new community hub. New housing development both North and South of the High Street would help achieve this while being in keeping with the character of Ascot, with green spaces and retained mature trees.

What was presented to the local community in this Consultation event was a scheme for 350 houses – which is double the number envisaged in the Neighbourhood Plan. There are no proposals for how traffic congestion will be addressed and the suggested car parking will be grossly inadequate. And the proposed “village square” bears more resemblance to a leafy lay-by than a focal point for the local community.

This is not a plan for the rejuvenation of Ascot, it is a plan to cram lots more housing into Ascot without any of the associated benefits the community is seeking.

Karate is one of the many extra activities on offer at  Papplewick School, Ascot, and is going from strength to strength under the expert tuition of Debbie Richards.

Debbie is a professional martial arts instructor, teaching in schools and clubs. A truly great display took place on Saturday, 26^th November, during the school assembly - when even the Headmaster, Tom Bunbury, took part and tried his hand, much to the delight of the boys!

Boys at Papplewick enjoy a huge range of extra-curricular activities including squash, photography, scuba diving, polo, riding, real tennis, clay pigeon shooting, golf, chess, drama, cookery and martial arts. The school is also proud of its highly popular Snake Club, where boys can own their own pet, ranging from bearded dragons to corn snakes. 

RBWM is stepping up its support for the homeless during winter including expanding its offer of emergency accommodation.

The Royal Borough activated its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) last week when temperatures plummeted.

Under SWEP anyone who is homeless in the area can contact the council’s housing team. The team will then source emergency temporary accommodation for them. This offer was taken up by seven local people last week.

Having reviewed local needs, the borough’s SWEP will now cover the winter months regardless of whether the temperature drops below zero or not.

The council is actively working with the homeless charity Brett Foundation to open two centres to provide support and emergency accommodation for vulnerable people. One of these is ready to lease and the other will open in the new year.

In the interim the use of extended emergency temporary accommodation, including using the Town Hall if necessary, will safeguard those most in need until the centre is able to open.

Cllr Simon Dudley, leader of the council, said: “By activating the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, local homeless people will be helped into emergency accommodation to protect them when the weather is at its worst.

The Royal Borough has welcomed the High Court’s backing of a weight limit imposed on the Chobham Road Bridge.

In April 2016 the council reduced the weight restriction from 18 tonnes to 7.5 tonnes to stop heavy vehicles from using the bridge in Sunningdale and ease resident concerns about road safety.

The decision was challenged by Surrey County Council which called for a judicial review on the grounds that the Royal Borough failed to properly consult on the changes or take into account alternative solutions.

However on Wednesday 16 November Deputy Judge Robin Purchas QC dismissed the case at the Royal Courts of Justice and ordered Surrey County Council pay back the Royal Borough’s legal costs of £10,687.79.

Cllr Phill Bicknell, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “I am glad to see the High Court has found that our decision was taken properly. We introduced this weight limit after listening to our residents’ concerns and looking for the best possible solution.

“It is a shame that this matter had to be brought before the courts but I hope we can work together in the future to ensure that matters arising close to our borough’s boundaries can be addressed amicably.”

Cllr Christine Bateson, principal member for Ascot and the Sunnings, added: “This is great news for our residents in the south of the borough.

“We worked with the residents of Sunningdale to introduce this weight limit as a way to increase safety on this important bridge and I believe that this support from the High Court shows we were right in taking this action to protect our residents.”

Pictured: Robert Ellison Presenting Mick Wallace - local author and Horticulturalist- With the Roberts Radio the Victorian Fayre Chapman's Raffle . 

One of the many attractions at the 2016 Sunninghill Victorian Street Fayre, was the regular Chapman's Ironmongers  Roberts Radio Raffle - this year won by Mick Wallace. All proceeds from the Raffle go to local charities.  

Chapman's also participated in the 'Spot the Mistake in the Window'  competition, along with 9  further High Street shops. Watch this space to find out who won.  The prize was £25 for the competitor who correctly spotted the items which were out of place in each of the participating windows. For example, who spotted the hose clip in Jason Charle's window, the Ryvita at Pink & Brown , the Vapona at the Little Flowerpot , the lemon at Chapman's, and so on.

Pictured Above: Chapman's Window : A Stray Lemon in the Chapman's Windows Display Competition 

E-Mail: enquiries@s-a-pc.com    

For more information, contact the Parish Office on 01344 630141 or email enquiries@s-a-pc.com

RBWM Textile Recycling Service

A  clothes and textile collection service is part of the Royal Borough’s weekly waste and recycling collections.

Ascot & Sunnings residents are able to recycle unwanted clothes and textiles alongside their other recycling, food waste and general rubbish.

Residents are being asked to place clean, dry clothes and textiles in any plastic bag, tie the bag, and either label or write on the bag ‘textiles’. The bag should then be placed next to their recycling bin on collection day.

Clean, dry and worn out items, such as clothing, socks, shoes (paired), belts, knitwear, curtains, bedding, blankets, towels and any unwanted handbags can all be recycled. Residents can still give their unwanted clothes in a good condition to their preferred charity but if they put them out for recycling, they will be either recycled or reused.