Template Letters
Here are some sample letters to inspire you.
Simply copy and paste into your favourite email editor.
Example Letter 1
Letter to Nigel Huddleston, MP, which was also copied in to Vic Allison, Mark Goodge, Sarah Williams, Patrick Boyd and Marion Griffiths
mark.goodge@wychavon.net; nigel.huddleston.mp@parliament.uk>; vic.allison@wychavon.gov.uk;
We write to inform you in the strongest terms of our objection regarding the proposal put forward by Dr Evans of Prince Henry’s School in Victoria Avenue.
It appears every man and his dog knew about this but Dr Evans chose not to include nor inform the local residents, all of whom would be directly impacted should these proposed expansions go ahead. It should be noted that this is not the first time the school has treated their neighbours with contempt.
There are countless reasons why there should be no more expansion of what is already a behemoth of an institution.
- Access to the school is in effect a single lane with few passing places.
- Heavy plant using the unadopted Inches Lane over the years have seriously eroded and damaged the surface, compromising the sewer system running underground. We assume the school will be liable should damage occur to these old pipes? The dust, pollution and noise during the Summer months that we have endured over the years from all this plant machinery has been unbearable and distressing to the residents whose properties back onto the Lane.
- The smell from the now excessive increase in sewage from the school is bad in the Winter but unbearable in the Summer when we have to close our windows. This has resulted in some residents increasing the height of their stench pipes to try and blow the smell away.
- As far as the theatre proposal goes, we are unsure of the maths calculation used but a 400 seat increase to 1000 is incorrect. The seating is already at 312 so we make that an increase of nearly 700. More sewage (See 3. Above)
- The Henrician is already under used as various events have been cancelled and, if you look at the drop in total gross income since 2021 it actually shows a sorry picture. How would an increase in size improve this.
There are other reasons why this scheme should not be considered which will be brought up at a later date should an application come to fruition, but, maybe it is time to consider a) a larger site for the school with better infrastructure in place and b) utilising the proposed improvement of our decaying town centre to include an entertainment facility which would reinvigorate our town bringing in much needed revenue to the bars and cafes, business for the taxi rank and visitors to the beautiful park. Visit Malvern theatre on a Summer’s evening and you will see how vibrant a place it is.
Evesham could be too but it needs the vision and willpower of those in power to make it so and not to be swayed by the self-aggrandisement of a very small minority of people who have no care for their local community.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully give you food for thought.
Yours faithfully,
Example Letter 2
Letter to WCC Councillor Satinder Bell regarding the temporary one-way system which WCC are going to trial.
It would mean vehicles coming into the school along Victoria Avenue and out along Windsor Road/Cambria Road
Dear Councillor Bell,
At a residents meeting last night, we were informed that you have, on residents behalf, agreed to a proposed Temporary Traffic Regulation Order instituting a trial one-way system in Victoria Avenue, Windsor Road and Cambria Road.
If this is indeed the case, could you clarify:
- who proposed such a scheme and for what purpose?
- what research has been done (and by whom) to suggest that traffic will be able to flow more freely, and what impact there will be on residents and their parking and mitigations to address this?
- when & how is it proposed to operate and how will it be managed and communicated to residents?
- when will those affected by such a restriction be consulted?
- how will the effects of the trial be evaluated, and by whom, and how that evaluation will be available for public scrutiny?
I look forward to your timely response and hope that there will be appropriate opportunity for residents to make representations to you regarding this matter.
Kind regards,
Example Letter 3
Letter to Councillor Kearsey used when the news first broke but may still be useful:
I am writing regarding the proposed development of the Henrician Arts Centre at Prince Henry's High School, Evesham.
I have copied in Cllr John Clatworthy (Mayor of Evesham), Evesham Town Council Town Clerk, Cllr Mark Goodge, Cllr Mary Tasker, Nigel Huddleston MP, Vic Allison and Mr Butcher (the Chair of the Governors, Prince Henry's High School) for their responses and for their information.
We as a community are extremely disappointed that plans for an expansion of the Henrician to a 1000 seater auditorium (a venue which would be used by the school, for conferences and as an arts centre) were announced at a performance of the school's musical 'Anything Goes' recently, together with artists drawings and funding proposals and a plea to parents for their support.
As you will appreciate, without the facts, we are not in any position to make an informed opinion about the plans for the Henrician and much is left to speculation. This is extremely unfortunate and we would urge you, the school and all involved in the plans so far to remedy this as soon as possible to improve the consultation process and the transparency of the planning of this project.
A public meeting should be part of this, where we could ask questions of the school, the developer and the council about how this is to be funded, the procurement process, fully researched and proven advantages of the plans to the local arts community, partnership working with and canvassed support from them, and plans to mitigate the impact on the residential area of the building works, increased traffic flow upon completion, evening light and noise pollution etc.
As you will appreciate, without the facts, we are not in any position to make an informed opinion about the plans for the Henrician and much is left to speculation. This is extremely unfortunate and we would urge you, the school and all involved in the plans so far to remedy this as soon as possible to improve the consultation process and the transparency of the planning of this project.
A public meeting should be part of this, where we could ask questions of the school, the developer and the council about how this is to be funded, the procurement process, fully researched and proven advantages of the plans to the local arts community, partnership working with and canvassed support from them, and plans to mitigate the impact on the residential area of the building works, increased traffic flow upon completion, evening light and noise pollution etc.
I for one was under the impression that the district council was in the process of purchasing Riverside with a view to developing it as a cultural and retail hub for the town - a logical and welcome move as the road infrastructure, parking, facilities and access provisions are already in place for this building to include a large community and possible performance space. It would also rejuvenate a historically important building and the town centre as a whole, making it more attractive to businesses and the public.
There are also many night time economy businesses surrounding it which would benefit from the development, bringing a vibrant and sustainable heart to our town. An expanded theatre at the Henrician will be a destination venue, with very little positive effect on the local night-time economy, and will have a huge impact on residents in the surrounding area, from the 4 years of building work through to the use of the facility in the future. The development and restoration of the Riverside site is a far more logical option.
There are also many night time economy businesses surrounding it which would benefit from the development, bringing a vibrant and sustainable heart to our town. An expanded theatre at the Henrician will be a destination venue, with very little positive effect on the local night-time economy, and will have a huge impact on residents in the surrounding area, from the 4 years of building work through to the use of the facility in the future. The development and restoration of the Riverside site is a far more logical option.
We firmly believe that the roads around the school are simply not capable of accommodating the volume of traffic a 1000 seater auditorium would generate, regardless of how many parking spaces the school has planned. A one way system around the school (Victoria Avenue for entry and Cambria Road for exit) has been mooted, but we are all of the opinion that this would be unworkable due to the narrowness and right hand corner of Cambria Road, particularly for vehicles larger than a family car.
These are just some of our concerns. We as a community have many more, but as I have said, we have not been party to, invited to or involved in any discussions held so far. In the absence of this, we are not even being given the opportunity to ask questions about something which will significantly impact us.
I cannot find reference to the planning application on the council planning portal yet. Residents are entitled to be involved in this process in good time and have their views taken into account. I look forward to hearing what the plans are for facilitating this in a timely manner to allow us to express our concerns and hold our elected representatives accountable for the environmental, planning and financial decisions made in our names.
I very much look forward to hearing from you with your responses to our points.
Yours sincerely,
Example Letter 4
Response to the letter from WCC regarding a stage 1 complaint (WCC letter here)
In your response, received yesterday, to my email to yourselves of March 16th you have suggested that any dissatisfaction with your response should be addressed by requesting a stage 2 escalation.
My email detailed areas of specific concern which I do not feel you have fully addressed or understood by reading your response.
My concerns are not connected with the daily school drop offs or collections, as I stated in my previous email, that whilst there is no evidence of the daytime school traffic being actively managed by the school itself, any traffic issues related to school drop off and pick up are short-lived and can be tolerated. As school drop off and collection times are within 'working hours' there are generally sufficient spaces in our roads to accommodate traffic to pull in to make way for others and to clear the roads in a timely manner.
What is causing us significant issues and is becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate is the traffic that is generated outside of school hours, in the evenings and weekends, by traffic that is attending either an event at the school, the Henrician and/or a sporting event. Often events of these types can all be running at the same time. This is where the measures that the school puts into place to mitigate issues during the school day, as mentioned in your response, do not come into play, as this is not the daily 'school' traffic, but events that are extracurricular to those.
In the evenings and at weekends, the residents of the local area are generally at home and therefore there are less spaces to allow for pulling in to make way for others. The attendees to the school/Henrician for events at this time are not asked to cycle, walk or come by a limited number of buses, they generally attend in their own cars. With the Henrician seating over 300 people, the school sports-offering being vast and the other facilities the school offers in space for careers events etc, you can imagine the number of cars that may be visiting the school premises at these times.
I therefore disagree with your statement that 'the trips generated by events and community facilities are lower than those for school start and finish times and therefore in responding to planning applications WCC have lacked evidence that additional trips in relation to development of community facilities would result in unacceptable or severe impact' I can assure you that there is a significant difference in the type of traffic that comes down our roads to the school/Henrician in the evenings and weekends, as they are not schoolchildren who are walking/cycling or being bussed in at those times, they are adults or adults delivering their children in individual cars predominantly. I doubt the risk assessments for the daily 'school traffic' covers this - are there such risk assessments in place for the extra-curricular traffic and are they encouraged to attend on foot/by cycle or bus? It would be useful to be able to see these and comment on them. .
I also refer to your comments in a further paragraph of your response where you state 'All individuals and organisations that are hosting events, or hiring their facilities for events, are responsible for managing the access and parking arrangements for the traffic generated. This includes mitigating for the impact on the highway, liaising with the County Council as highway authority and communicating with their neighbours who are directly impacted' Whilst I am sure that there must be some communication from the school and Henrician organisers to some of those you name, I can confirm that there has been no managing of the traffic generated by events held by them, in fact they seem to only be concerned about their own premises, not the access to or from them. As mentioned in my previous email, we receive very little communication from the school, we get a list of proposed dates for school events and that is it. The school sent a letter out to residents after the awful grid-lock event of last November, which did not offer any solutions on their part other than an idea for a one-way traffic system which I understand was devised by a child at their school. This, as you say, is an unworkable option anyway, but shows an absolute lack of commitment on the part of the school to take our concerns seriously. The school also suggested that increased parking on their premises would help with the traffic situation for evening events and asked for our support with this. This is a ridiculous idea and would clearly add to any traffic issues
Your suggestions of passing spaces and double yellow lines on Victoria Avenue also show a lack of understanding of the needs of the residents with regard to safety and the access to our homes and the school.
I welcome your response to this escalation and look forward to hearing back from you. Consultation involving all parties concerned is essential to resolve the issues we are facing in our neighbourhood and I urge you to ensure that communication and concerns are heard from all involved.