Public Hostility to College Expansion Plans

11.46.27am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 6th Jan 2005

At a packed meeting of residents at All Hallows Church Hall in Twickenham yesterday (Wednesday) there was strong hostility to proposals to rebuild and expand the Tertiary College and to finance it by means of a large, enabling, housing development.

Vincent Cable, MP for Twickenham, who chaired the meeting organised by Heatham Residents Association, said that: "the council was given a very clear signal by the local community that its planning guidance must preclude large-scale development in an area where there is very limited green, open space; serious traffic problems in congested local roads; and serious pressure on school places. Most residents, I think, understand and accept that the college needs to replace some of its unsuitable buildings and to meet local demand for post 16 education and training but there was a good deal of scepticism about the scale of expansion planned".

"I have appealed to the college authorities to enter into a genuine dialogue with the local residents since frankly, there was a lot of ill feeling. The reports of anti-social behaviour by young people en route from the station to the college have also created hostility and there has to be a concerted attempt to get on top of these issues. There is a danger that the genuine achievements of the college in post 16 education and vocational training, which I warmly acknowledge, are being overshadowed by behavioural problems".

Contacts: Philip Morgan 8892 6044 or Alistair Edwards 8892 4241