Lee & May Hospital proposals
Andrew Cormie sent the following on 31st January 2013 as an email to Theresa May MP - (no reply received as of 2nd April 2014);
Dear Theresa,
I have learned with much dismay and incredulity of your active support for Bracknell MP Dr Lee's hospital proposal in your constituency. This would result in residents living around M4 J8/9 having to suffer the increased road and air traffic arising from such a hospital.
You know very well that when you proposed such a hospital in the past it was overwhelmingly rejected by local residents and by the Bray Parish Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
So for you to give your support to Dr Lee is counter to the wishes of the majority of your constituents and their elected local representatives.
This is not behaviour that I expect or wish to see from my MP!
Rather than making things worse for your constituents by subjecting them to extra road and air traffic, you should be improving their lives by for instance ensuring that no Heathrow airport expansion takes place, and that night flights are reduced. Night flights are harmful to health, causing for instance increased blood pressure, cost to the economy in ill-health, early death and lack of productivity at work. I am also very much annoyed by the noise imposition by air taxi helicopters that fly over the back gardens of those such as myself who live on the South East side of Holyport Road. Further, as you are also a supporter of Cross Rail - and we know that it is coming, you should know that it will result in an increase of approximately 1000 vehicles per day to this area.
M4 Junction 8/9 is an extremely bad location for the proposed hospital because traffic on the road network local to J8/9 is already far too congested especially at peak times.
Traffic volume in this area is already so great that there is no way that the area can sustain the further increases in traffic which would result from the hospital. It seems very unlikely that emergency vehicles could urgently emerge from or gain access to this proposed hospital with any certainty.
Lee's report advises that he envisages handling 729,448 patients per year, and that some 6,526 staff will be required. The amount of extra housing required for the staff and their families and the further pressure that the staff transport and their family transport will apply to local roads is a further problem. This will also impose extra housing requirements, whilst RBWM is already struggling to meet Central Government's current housing requirements.
The traffic from vehicles bringing visitors to the 1015 patients will add to the traffic for staff and in-patients. Further, as 1015 multiplied by 365 days per year equals 370,475, it appears that Lee intends to deal with 358,973 out-patients per annum, (729,448 minus 370,475), an average of 983 per day, and their transport would add further chaos to the situation.
We read in the Maidenhead Advertiser that 2,820 car park spaces would be required. This appears to be far from sufficient as I see also that the staff number will be 6,526.
Before you suggest new developments such as this hospital you should have commissioned, (at Central Government expense - not at RBWM ratepayers expense), a comprehensive rigorous assessment of the numbers of and the origins and destinations of traffic within a 5 mile radius of Junction 8/9. This assessment should particularly determine the traffic situation in the rush hours on all roads leading to or from J8/9. There have been instances where traffic is backed up from J8/9 as far as the Oakley Court Hotel on the A308, and as far as Holyport on the A330. On these occasions Holyport Road (part of the B3028 from Bray to Holyport) which connects the A330 with the A308, becomes completely filled with traffic from the A330 to the A308. At the last Holyport Road traffic survey of which I am aware (July 2006), Holyport Road was subject to 7,639 vehicles per day. The traffic level now must be far greater than 7,639 per day.
Whilst writing, I see that in the letter page of the 31st Jan 2013 issue of the Maidenhead Advertiser, Cllr Dudley tells us that a very detailed technical analysis and traffic survey has been prepared for the proposed Holyport College intended to be situated on the A330. I would point out that the validity of any such traffic assessments taken on their own become useless if future traffic impositions on the same roads arise from such things as this proposed hospital.
If such a hospital has to be created somewhere, I suggest that it be near a new M4 motorway junction be created between current 8/9 and 10. This would of course be Junction 9 and 8/9 would become 8.
Such a junction is already well overdue as much J 8/9 traffic comes to J 8/9 from the sector lying to its South West to South.
Junction 9 could, for instance, be located at Grid Reference 856756 and could link to the South-East to a new roundabout at the junction at grid ref 860752, and perhaps onwards to ref 869736 (in Adam Afriyie's constituency). Also to the North-West to new roundabouts at 848759 and at 832760. I believe all of these except where mentioned are in your constituency.
If that new Junction existed, much traffic that currently feeds in and out of junction 8/9 would use the new junction. Roads local to that area would of course become new motorway feeder roads, to the detriment of residents in those areas. However, the residents on the existing feeder roads at J 8/9 have already suffered too much from excess traffic due to the lack of a junction in the area I have suggested.
Sincerely,
Andrew Cormie
A letter from Cllrs Burbage, Coppinger and Walters in the Maidenhead Advertiser of 21 February 2013
Super hospital a great idea but in the wrong place
With regard to the regional hospital proposal and MP Dr Philip Lee’s views, we believe a new hospital for Maidenhead is a great idea. But as was made clear at the public meeting at the Holiday lnn, it is not possible to be specific about a location for the hospital until government policy is known.
The catchment area, the population to be served, what hospitals may or may not merge, all have to be decided before a location is determined. This presumably is why the Department of Health, on Dr Lee’s own admIttance, does not wish to enter into discussions with him on this matter. As to the merits and demerits of a regional hospital, we are not qualified to comment but we know others who do not share Dr Lee’s views. A gigantic new hospital with approximately 1,000 beds, 6,500 staff and approximately 3,000 car parking spaces is not the right answer.
We appreciate you have to start somewhere. However, we consider it premature for Dr Lee to state his preferred option is this greenbelt site at Junction 8/9 simply because it has been offered and where each year we have the Littlewick Green Show.
Dr Lee advised us at the public meeting he had had no discussion with the Highways Agency and to propose, as he did, that the M4 be widened, that Junction 8/9 could be made into another ‘Handy-Cross roundabout’ as at High Wycombe, caused considerable alarm and opposition.
To alter this high level interchange at Junction 8/9 and widen the M4 would involve massive infrastructure disruption and costs and would have a devastating effect on the Parish of Bray containing two conservation villages.
We would point out the A308/A330 roads are already overloaded particularly at peak times. To introduce all the different hospital locations (11 in all) shown on the map in the booklet the ‘Future Healthcare Plan’ - including Hillingdon, Wycombe, Marlow, Wexham Park, Reading, Bracknell, Heatherwood etc on just one location is unrealistic.
In order to be helpful but also being mindful any such suggestion is also premature, land south of Junction 7 on the M4 nearer Slough with no high level interchange and easy access for the processing of high level effluent from the hospital and views over the Jubilee River could be worth considering.
Cllrs DAVID BURBAGE, DAVID COPPINGER, LEO WALTERS Bray
Dear Theresa,
I have learned with much dismay and incredulity of your active support for Bracknell MP Dr Lee's hospital proposal in your constituency. This would result in residents living around M4 J8/9 having to suffer the increased road and air traffic arising from such a hospital.
You know very well that when you proposed such a hospital in the past it was overwhelmingly rejected by local residents and by the Bray Parish Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
So for you to give your support to Dr Lee is counter to the wishes of the majority of your constituents and their elected local representatives.
This is not behaviour that I expect or wish to see from my MP!
Rather than making things worse for your constituents by subjecting them to extra road and air traffic, you should be improving their lives by for instance ensuring that no Heathrow airport expansion takes place, and that night flights are reduced. Night flights are harmful to health, causing for instance increased blood pressure, cost to the economy in ill-health, early death and lack of productivity at work. I am also very much annoyed by the noise imposition by air taxi helicopters that fly over the back gardens of those such as myself who live on the South East side of Holyport Road. Further, as you are also a supporter of Cross Rail - and we know that it is coming, you should know that it will result in an increase of approximately 1000 vehicles per day to this area.
M4 Junction 8/9 is an extremely bad location for the proposed hospital because traffic on the road network local to J8/9 is already far too congested especially at peak times.
Traffic volume in this area is already so great that there is no way that the area can sustain the further increases in traffic which would result from the hospital. It seems very unlikely that emergency vehicles could urgently emerge from or gain access to this proposed hospital with any certainty.
Lee's report advises that he envisages handling 729,448 patients per year, and that some 6,526 staff will be required. The amount of extra housing required for the staff and their families and the further pressure that the staff transport and their family transport will apply to local roads is a further problem. This will also impose extra housing requirements, whilst RBWM is already struggling to meet Central Government's current housing requirements.
The traffic from vehicles bringing visitors to the 1015 patients will add to the traffic for staff and in-patients. Further, as 1015 multiplied by 365 days per year equals 370,475, it appears that Lee intends to deal with 358,973 out-patients per annum, (729,448 minus 370,475), an average of 983 per day, and their transport would add further chaos to the situation.
We read in the Maidenhead Advertiser that 2,820 car park spaces would be required. This appears to be far from sufficient as I see also that the staff number will be 6,526.
Before you suggest new developments such as this hospital you should have commissioned, (at Central Government expense - not at RBWM ratepayers expense), a comprehensive rigorous assessment of the numbers of and the origins and destinations of traffic within a 5 mile radius of Junction 8/9. This assessment should particularly determine the traffic situation in the rush hours on all roads leading to or from J8/9. There have been instances where traffic is backed up from J8/9 as far as the Oakley Court Hotel on the A308, and as far as Holyport on the A330. On these occasions Holyport Road (part of the B3028 from Bray to Holyport) which connects the A330 with the A308, becomes completely filled with traffic from the A330 to the A308. At the last Holyport Road traffic survey of which I am aware (July 2006), Holyport Road was subject to 7,639 vehicles per day. The traffic level now must be far greater than 7,639 per day.
Whilst writing, I see that in the letter page of the 31st Jan 2013 issue of the Maidenhead Advertiser, Cllr Dudley tells us that a very detailed technical analysis and traffic survey has been prepared for the proposed Holyport College intended to be situated on the A330. I would point out that the validity of any such traffic assessments taken on their own become useless if future traffic impositions on the same roads arise from such things as this proposed hospital.
If such a hospital has to be created somewhere, I suggest that it be near a new M4 motorway junction be created between current 8/9 and 10. This would of course be Junction 9 and 8/9 would become 8.
Such a junction is already well overdue as much J 8/9 traffic comes to J 8/9 from the sector lying to its South West to South.
Junction 9 could, for instance, be located at Grid Reference 856756 and could link to the South-East to a new roundabout at the junction at grid ref 860752, and perhaps onwards to ref 869736 (in Adam Afriyie's constituency). Also to the North-West to new roundabouts at 848759 and at 832760. I believe all of these except where mentioned are in your constituency.
If that new Junction existed, much traffic that currently feeds in and out of junction 8/9 would use the new junction. Roads local to that area would of course become new motorway feeder roads, to the detriment of residents in those areas. However, the residents on the existing feeder roads at J 8/9 have already suffered too much from excess traffic due to the lack of a junction in the area I have suggested.
Sincerely,
Andrew Cormie
A letter from Cllrs Burbage, Coppinger and Walters in the Maidenhead Advertiser of 21 February 2013
Super hospital a great idea but in the wrong place
With regard to the regional hospital proposal and MP Dr Philip Lee’s views, we believe a new hospital for Maidenhead is a great idea. But as was made clear at the public meeting at the Holiday lnn, it is not possible to be specific about a location for the hospital until government policy is known.
The catchment area, the population to be served, what hospitals may or may not merge, all have to be decided before a location is determined. This presumably is why the Department of Health, on Dr Lee’s own admIttance, does not wish to enter into discussions with him on this matter. As to the merits and demerits of a regional hospital, we are not qualified to comment but we know others who do not share Dr Lee’s views. A gigantic new hospital with approximately 1,000 beds, 6,500 staff and approximately 3,000 car parking spaces is not the right answer.
We appreciate you have to start somewhere. However, we consider it premature for Dr Lee to state his preferred option is this greenbelt site at Junction 8/9 simply because it has been offered and where each year we have the Littlewick Green Show.
Dr Lee advised us at the public meeting he had had no discussion with the Highways Agency and to propose, as he did, that the M4 be widened, that Junction 8/9 could be made into another ‘Handy-Cross roundabout’ as at High Wycombe, caused considerable alarm and opposition.
To alter this high level interchange at Junction 8/9 and widen the M4 would involve massive infrastructure disruption and costs and would have a devastating effect on the Parish of Bray containing two conservation villages.
We would point out the A308/A330 roads are already overloaded particularly at peak times. To introduce all the different hospital locations (11 in all) shown on the map in the booklet the ‘Future Healthcare Plan’ - including Hillingdon, Wycombe, Marlow, Wexham Park, Reading, Bracknell, Heatherwood etc on just one location is unrealistic.
In order to be helpful but also being mindful any such suggestion is also premature, land south of Junction 7 on the M4 nearer Slough with no high level interchange and easy access for the processing of high level effluent from the hospital and views over the Jubilee River could be worth considering.
Cllrs DAVID BURBAGE, DAVID COPPINGER, LEO WALTERS Bray
As Theresa May, responding in March 2014 to the RBWM Consultation on their Local Plan, expressed her continuing support for the Hospital at J8/9 Andrew Cormie wrote to her again - the email can be downloaded from the adjacent button.
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Theresa May replied to Andrew Cormie - her response can be downloaded by clicking on the adjacent button.
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