I’ve seen this all before in Sydenham

I was very encouraged to read of new housing plans for our district referring to garden suburbs with integrated design, tree planting, landscaping, planned shopping etc although with a feeling of ‘deja vu’.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th May 2012, 15:43 BST

Yes, we have been here before. Wind the clock back some 45 years and you have the plans for Sydenham Farm Estate as it was known. A garden suburb designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and built by A.C. Lloyd with some ‘encouragement’ from the Leamington Society and the council.

We residents, many longstanding, still enjoy and cherish our green landscaped spaces linked by footpaths with a minimum of roads. Alas A.C. Lloyd, having completed its obligation in phase one, was allowed to revert to traditional roads and house layouts, which were far more profitable, in succeeding phases.

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As there is no long term continuity and commitment of vision by our short term politicians, I have no doubt that this new ‘utopia’ promised by 2026 will have been long forgotten, along with the soundbite by that year. Current issues of debate in Postbag confirm this. I doubt if our politicians, councillors or the planning consultants U.R.S, have any knowledge of Sir Frederick Gibberd and the ‘Radburn’ garden suburb designs of Sydenham.

Do I think garden suburbs will reappear? Not really, the bottom line profit is not big enough. Don’t hold your breath. - Nigel Briggs, Amroth Mews, Sydenham