Tuesday 5 April 2011

Last chance to comment on planning application for Bray Studios

The Bray Parish Council met last night, and have recommended the application for refusal - but on the grounds that the development is too big for green belt land. 

The Council are not against the residential development, and would still be minded to approve a smaller scale development. This obviously is still something of great concern to members of this group.

The deadline for consultation regarding the plans is this Thursday. If you haven't already, please visit the planning application website:
http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/pam/view.jsp?ID=11%2F00474%2FFULL

You can use a link on the right hand side of the page to comment on the application and voice your disapproval. Please do remember that planning applications have strict criteria, and that the best way to delay this application is to refer to those. If you visit the group's Facebook page you'll see some comments and suggestions from other members already - I'd suggest these are a great place to start. Of course, you are free to make additional comments as you see fit (and indeed, if you support the application and plans to demolish the studio you are free to do this via the same means).

The priority right now is to have the current plans refused. This will buy time to further our arguments and built interest and support and attention. Please continue to do this.

Don't delay.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Planning application now formally submitted

Neville Hendricks and the Bray Studios Management through developers Pegasus have now lodged their formal planning application, which is pretty much as expected from last year. We at Save Bray are obviously deeply disappointed that the developers have completely ignored our appeals to date, and are pushing ahead with their attack on the cinematic cultural history of the UK through a warped and misleading statement of the current state of affairs. 


I'm currently in the process of reviewing the 150+ documents that make up the planning applications, and I would encourage you to do the same.


The two applications relating to the conversion of Down Place back into a residential dwelling, and the total destruction of the historic Bray Studios themselves are here:


http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/pam/view.jsp?ID=11%2F00474%2FFULL


http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/pam/view.jsp?ID=11%2F00476%2FLBC



Thanks to campaigner David Cook for spotting these, and for the associated links. Please review information on RBWM website on correct procedure for commenting on planning applications:

http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/dc_commenting_on_planning_applications.htm



There is still time to lodge objection to the plans, and we have received the following information:


"The plans are due to go up for discussion by Bray Parish Council on April 4 and then with the Royal Borough who will make the final desicion in June. Member of this (Save Bray Studios) group are able to make representations at both meetings if they wished to do so and I will post any new info I have on the group wall."


We would encourage members of the group to make representation at the meetings. If I can, I'll personally attend both meetings, but it would help if others could do same.


You can also continue to get involved in the debate via the Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106861216022812

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Bray Management accounts

The last few months has seen continued activity at Bray Studios, though not even verging on capacity. My visit to the studios in August for the consultation revealed the studio to be quite run down cosmetically. Weeds were strewn across the site, which certainly give the impression of something like an abandoned ghost town, but are purely cosmetic problems easily dealt with by a groundsman with a hoe, rake, pair of gloves and a bottle of weedkiller.

The house certainly does need work done, but we still refute that the studio itself needs to be torn down - and we'll address some of the lingering issues and news over the next week or so here.

A visit to Companies House this morning and using their web-check system reveals that Bray Management Ltd, the current owners of Bray Studios and those behind the plans to destroy the complex, are late with their accounting returns. The accounts were due on 31 December 2010, but as of today (19 January 2011) are late. This is a common occurrence when businesses are in financial difficulties or about to start winding up procedure, so we wouldn't be surprised if Bray Management are planning to transfer the complex into private hands and close the shutters permanently.

Of course, this is purely speculative at this time, but worth watching out for.

Despite being late with accounts, just two days ago they filed a 'Declaration of Satisfaction In Full or Part of A Mortgage/Full Charge'. It would take someone better versed in finance than me to go through the Bray accounting history, and if anyone has or can provide more information, do get in touch.

Fuller accounts can be bought and downloaded from Companies House for perusal, but for the moment we will share the following publicly available information about Bray Management Ltd., which may be of interest:

Registered office: Brooklawn, 12 Littleworth Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9PD
Company No.: 02473986
Date of incorporation: 23/02/1990
Nature of Business: 9231 - Artistic and Literary Creation.

Nice to know Bray Management is supposedly interested in Artistic Creation rather than property development...