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Community Planning Process

The Community Planning Weekend

The Fair Mile Community Planning Weekend was held on 27 and 28 April 2007 at the Theatre, Fair Mile Hospital. The aim of the weekend was to bring together local people and stakeholders to create a Vision for the redevelopment of the site. The weekend was organised by the developers Linden Homes and Thomas Homes and John Thompson & Partners, architects, urban designers and community planners.

The Community Planning Weekend began on the afternoon of Friday, 27 April 2007, with a workshop focusing on the relationship between Fair Mile Hospital and Cholsey. Initially ‘problems’ in the area were raised, then ‘dreams’ and finally ‘solutions’ were discussed. Participants gave their views by writing their thoughts on post-it notes which were gathered in and read out stimulating debate on the key issues.

Over 250 people from the local area took part in workshops, took guided walks around the site and formed "hands-on planning" groups focusing on a wide range of issues. On the Friday, the discussions were broader in nature, focusing on the wider context, the village, its integration with the hospital site and the barrier posed by the Reading Road. The Saturday sessions considered the site in more detail, the uses for the retention and conversion of the existing buildings, where new buildings are best located and how to preserve and enhance the existing landscape.

The key themes discussed were:

• How to integrate Fair Mile and Cholsey both physically and socially
• Access and connectivity particularly for pedestrians and cyclists
• Heritage and conservation
• The location and character of the new development
• The impact of the development on the character of Cholsey
• The continuation of community involvement

The outcomes from the Community Planning Weekend and the emerging masterplan and vision were reported back to the community on 8 May at 7.30pm in the Theatre, Fair Mile Hospital. The emerging masterplan can be seen by following the link in the left-hand column of this page.