GAMA plans could be called in

The Government Office for the South East could call in the plan for permanent car storage, if it is approved tonight

CONTROVERSIAL plans to allow permanent car storage at the former Ground Launch Cruise Missile Alert and Maintenance area (GAMA) site on Greenham Common could be called in by the Government Office for the South East (GOSE), if they are approved by district councillors tonight (Tuesday).

The owners of the site, Flying A Services, are hoping to get permission to allow the storage of up to 6,900 cars at the site, which is home to Cold War missile silos and bunkers that are protected as a ‘scheduled monument' – a nationally important archaeological site that is given protections against unauthorised change.

The owners already have a temporary consent from 2007 allowing car storage for up to ten years on the site.

However, council planning officers have recommended the latest plans for refusal in their report before the district planning committee tonight on the grounds of the site's historic significance and because it is said to undermine district planning policy and cause “demonstrable harm.”

District councillor, Julian Swift-Hook (Lib Dem, Greenham) has also recently launched an online petition to try and protect the site, while he vowed to lobby the White House and the Pentagon to try and prevent the site from becoming a “giant car park.”

Flying A Services have, however, said that after extensive marketing, permanent car storage was the only viable option to obtain income to help secure the site's long term maintenance and preservation, adding that they do not have a hidden agenda and that the plans would give the site a “new lease of life.”

At a recent meeting of the western area planning committee, district councillors were minded to approve the plans, although no formal decision was taken and the plans were instead referred to the district planning committee for determination as approval would be contrary to local and national planning policy.

But if the district planning committee decides to approve the plans tonight, it would still not be the end of the long-running saga, as the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has exercised his powers under Article 25 of the Town and Country Planning Order 2010 directing the council not to grant planning permission on the application without specific authorisation.

This has been done to enable Mr Pickles to consider whether the application should be referred to him via GOSE for determination.

The direction will remain in place until February 21.

Meanwhile, the meeting of West Berkshire Council's district planning committee starts at 6.30pm tonight at the council offices in Market Street, Newbury.