My - as yet unanswered - message to the Leader of the Council

Dear Councillor Green

I attach a rough map (copyright retained) that I have drawn of the proposed "Opportunity Areas" for The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames as laid out in the Early Engagement for the Local Plan.

Some residents have been asking me what you have said about planned growth for Kingston and the proposed opportunity area designation for the borough. However, I have found nobody who seems to know your view on these subjects that are of great and personal interest to residents across the Borough.

I would be grateful if you can give me your personal views on the following for sharing and general publication:

Please can you give me your opinion on whether the "opportunity area" designation for Kingston is sound and why the proposed boundaries for what have now become two "opportunity areas" in the Borough have been expanded?

Please can you explain why you support large site development across our "leafy" Borough (Cllr Green quote on Radio London 2019) on the scale envisaged in the new London Plan as well as after the uplift that will come with opportunity area status and CrossRail 2? Please can you explain how you believe this scale of development will affect Kingston's neighbourhoods and communities as well as our natural and historic environment?

Please can you explain why you now support opportunity area status for Kingston when you voted against the Direction of Travel in 2016. As you know, this document is being used by the GLA as an OAPF to establish the Borough as an Opportunity Area in the London Plan.

Please can you explain specifically what support in terms of funding and infrastructure is guaranteed to the Borough if we gain "opportunity area" status and how this will offset the harm that many people believe that opportunity areas bring to communities and neighbourhoods. I draw your attention to work by Just Space including the following comment on Opportunity Areas:

https://justspace.org.uk/next-london-plan/opportunity-areas/

Thank you in advance for your consideration of my questions.

Yours sincerely

Caroline Shah