Queen Mary's Gate - Telfords Trying it On

12.01.00pm GMT Tue 26th Feb 2008

Controversy continues to rage over the Queen Mary's Gate development. Its originally planned density, and the extension which was subsequently allowed under delegated authority, has appalled local residents (and probably anyone who drives northwards from Charlie Brown's roundabout on the A406). But the developer, Telfords, has added insult to injury by seeking to renege on its section 106 obligations to provide public art on the site. Some £457,000 was required to be set aside for this purpose but Telfords is seeking to use some of the funds to provide a water feature in the gated (and private) part sector - something that was incorporated in the original design.

Church End LibDem councillor Richard Hoskins says that this will happen only "over his dead body". He said "The water feature was part of the original design, which I understood would be open and accessible to the public. Since then they have re-jigged the design and put the gates up so that it is no longer accessible - hardly public art. As a matter of principle, I do not like gated development because, when the gates close, the residents are divided from the rest of the community. It is like Wenceslas Towers with the rich looking down on the poor outside".

The water feature, a canal running into a circular pool, has in fact been built and all that Telfords is doing is attempting to claw back some extra profit. We suggest that they go jump in their own pool!!!!!