Many constituents have raised concerns surrounding the proposed Motorway Service Area which will impact those living in the Ivers.
I first objected to this in July 2021 and have continued to stand up for our green spaces in the Ivers ever since.
After the Strategic Sites Committee approved the Outline Application, I have since written to both the Council and the Secretary of State outlining why this development must be blocked and why our Greenbelt must be protected.
My July 2021 Objection Letter:
Dear Graham,
Re: Objection to planning application PL/20/4332/OA
16 July 2021
I am writing to object, in the strongest possible terms, to the planning application (referenced above) for a motorway service area to be built in Iver.
First and foremost, this development would destroy a swathe of Green Belt land in an area where green spaces are already under very significant pressure. The loss of this land would have a cascading effect, weakening the protection of other nearby land, which would be orphaned by this development. Further to this, there is no possible mitigation that would compensate for the loss of this amount of Green Belt land, in this location.
This development would compound a number of issues that are already putting pressure on the health and wellbeing of local residents. The level of traffic flow through the surrounding area is very high, causing problems of road safety, congestion, noise pollution, and air quality. Every one of these problems, which are without sufficient mitigation before this development, would be substantially worsened were it to be approved.
Further to this, a similar proposal was made for an Iver MSA previously, which was subject to a full public enquiry. The result of that process was a determination that an Iver MSA would be inappropriate, for a number of reasons, most of which are still extant. In fact, pressure on the Ivers and particularly their natural environment and green spaces has increased since that time. If it was not appropriate then, it certainly wouldn’t be now.
Specifically, the placement of the proposed site will eradicate the one remaining buffer of green space between Iver Heath and Uxbridge. This is not only an intrusion into the countryside but a clear example of the kind of urban encroachment that the Green Belt was implemented to stop. I have no desire to see London start to swallow up the south of Buckinghamshire, an unwelcome but inevitable consequence of approval being granted to this application.
Yours sincerely
Joy Morrissey MP
