Apology over lack of consultation on care facility

Priory healthcare apologises to Greenham Parish Council but not to residents near the proposed Monks Lane site

PRIORY healthcare has apologised to Greenham Parish Council for a lack of prior consultation in regard to a £3.5 million care facility it hopes to build in Wash Common to house people with mental disabilities.

A letter read out at a meeting of Greenham Parish Council on Wednesday, May 11, from Priory's group estates director Adrian Dallison stated the firm had not wished to avoid consulting with councillors before submitting a planning application, but had been advised to do so.

He added that he would be investigating the parish council's concerns over the impact on traffic and the strain the development would place on the surround area.

Caroline Walker, a spokeswoman from Priory's public relations team, Recognition, said: “The apology was made because although we were always acting in good faith we wanted to make sure there was no profession of disrespect.

“The advice we got at the time was not to approach people in case it prejudiced the committee under the pre-determination rule.”

The firm has not extended the apology to unhappy residents living near the proposed site on Monks Lane however, who have stated their displeasure at being kept in the dark at the plans, and who have claimed the developers are ignoring their concerns.

But Mrs Walker said: “It would be unusual to go to residents in advance of a planning application being submitted. Because of the way the planning system works consultation is part of the process once plans have been submitted.

“All the feedback has been submitted to the council, every comment has been taken on board and has been shared with the council, as always this part of an ongoing process.”

Many residents have begun lodging letters of representation with West Berkshire Council's planning department to voice their disapproval of the plans, citing the loss of green space and overdevelopment of an area they deem as already straining under the weight of traffic.

Of the 17 letters lodged so far, Falkland Surgery, which sits on the adjacent site to the proposed care facility which purchased the land from Newbury Rugby Club on condition of the approval of planning permission, has also called on Priory to be more open.

Falkland's practice manager Emma Macpherson has written to West Berkshire Council, on behalf of the surgery directors, to state that they could not support Priory's proposals because so little information on the type of patient and in-house medical provision had been provided.

The letter also stated as a 24-hour nursing home such as this was “on the doorstep” of the surgery, it would like more information on expectations placed on it in regard to working with the facility.

Mrs Walker said the concerns would be addressed.

“The hospital will incorporate a high degree of medical treatments at the site. The developers have met with the Falkland surgery and have briefed them on what will be provided at the site.”

The development has been recommended for approval by planning officers ahead of its appearance in front of the West Berkshire Council's western area planning committee next Wednesday (May 25).