OUR OBJECTIONS

The Action Group met with EBC management in November and asked them to hold a public meeting with the Boyn Hill community, in which to discuss openly and democratically their proposals and our concerns. This request was turned down and EBC are pushing ahead with plans that are unwelcome by the majority of residents in our area. 

The Action Group members oppose the current proposals because of the following concerns: 

·         EBC are planning to over-develop the site, by cramming the college against Boyn Hill House, in order to increase the size of the remaining plot of “surplus land” which will be sold for a high-density housing development, for maximum profit!

·         EBC are trying to avoid the issues that a combined college and housing development would raise, by splitting the site into two plots to be developed at different times. This means that the visual effect of the two projects, as well as the impact of the combined traffic, congestion and excessive parking on our environment will be impossible to assess!.  

·         EBC are also planning to carry out the college demolition and building work in two stages, with the lower huts being demolished first, to make room for the new college, and the tower block being demolished later, to make room for housing. This will cause several years of disruption and congestion for residents, during which our streets will become a building site and a free car park for all college students and staff!         

·         EBC are economising on design, quality and parking provision, to the detriment of the Boyn Hill community   

·         The college design, which resembles a warehouse, is not in keeping with the traditional character of the area and looks out of place opposite the All Saints Church heritage complex and the conservation area

·         The college is placed too close to Boyn Hill Avenue, dominating the street and affecting the privacy of surrounding houses 

·         The grey plastic coated metal roof and grey plastic windows are unsuitable opposite the Grade 1 listed All Saints Church and the other listed properties in the conservation area and will damage the character of this important Victorian heritage site

·         The 123 car park spaces on site are insufficient for 2600 students attending daytime and evening classes, of which 50% are not local residents; the recommended government guideline is 180 spaces.  

Most residents support the redevelopment of the site, which has become an eyesore, but would like to see proposals which are sympathetic to the character of the area and do not affect the community’s environment, safety and quality of life.

We are campaigning for:     

·         A unified treatment for the whole site, which achieves balance and harmony with the church complex and the surrounding conservation and residential areas

·         A scaled down college building that is in keeping with the style of the conservation area and does not overpower surrounding properties or the All Saints complex

·         A scaled down housing development which is in keeping with the area

·         Traditional designs that use traditional materials compatible with the area, such as pitched tiled roofs and wooden windows

·         Practical measures to ensure that the demolition and building works do not affect the fragile Boyn Hill subsoil and do not cause subsidence to surrounding houses 

·         A comprehensive traffic survey carried out during a whole week at peak times, to assess the real impact on the surrounding streets of the college day and evening traffic and parking needs, as well as those of the new housing development

·         Sufficient parking spaces on site for the planned 2,600 adult students (i.e. 180 spaces as recommended by the EBC advisors), as well as enough parking spaces for the housing development residents

·         Practical measures to decrease congestion, pollution and danger to pedestrians and school children.