Viewpoint: Value of development valuations is debatable

Email Viewpoint letters tojamesp@baylismedia.co.ukor write to Viewpoint, Newspaper House, 48 Bell Street, Maidenhead, SL61HX.

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Value of development valuations is debatable

Last Wednesday’s meeting of the Maidenhead Planning Committee (regarding plans to build flats at the site of Maidenhead Spiritualist Church) brought into ever sharper focus the vexed issue of development valuation reports.

A developer will appoint a valuer to calculate a Gross Development Value (GDV).

This is a projection of a future sales price per unit multiplied by the number of units. Build costs and other administrative costs are applied, such as legal, marketing, finance to produce a gross profit and loss account.

A margin, normally 20 per cent, is applied. If this does not leave a surplus then the developer has demonstrated that, for the purposes of providing affordable and/or social rent housing the development is not viable.

RBWM also appoint a valuer to produce an ‘independent’ report.

In three and a half years on the planning panel, I have never once seen these two reports conflict to the point where a developer’s claim of non-viability could be challenged.

This is odd as, in the calculation of GDV alone, there is enormous scope for variation.

We used to have an in-house valuation service. Employees, who did not have to compete for business with the independent valuers and who had no commercial relationship with developers.

In those days we routinely produced reports that both disagreed with those of the developers and stood up on appeal.

To rebuild that resource today would be next to impossible.

Attracting qualified and experienced valuers into Local Government posts is a challenge, given the disparity in earnings between the private and public sectors.

However, we could try using a government agency, District Valuers Service, instead of the same private firms repeatedly.

Maybe the answer to the problem is a fresh pair of eyes?

JOHN BALDWIN

Boyn Hill

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Take the long view on the Magpies’ future

The four-mile Corinth Canal is one of humankind’s longest development projects.

First proposed in the 7th Century BC by a dictator called Periander, the project finally commenced in 67AD with Roman Emperor Nero striking the pickaxe into the ground himself.

Nearly two millennia later, it was finally completed in 1893.

By the time it was finished, Maidenhead United, albeit not ‘united’ until a few decades later, was an established football club, striving to represent the town to the best of its ability (an ethos which is still instilled today).

Much like the Greeks, MUFC has struggled to get the long-awaited move to Braywick Park into fruition.

Searching ‘Maidenhead United’ and ‘Braywick’ in the Advertiser’s archives will most likely bring up at least one result for every year since the fall of fascism in Europe.

In fact, it was the Advertiser’s front page exactly 40 years ago tomorrow (July 1).

The latest attempt to relocate began in November 2019.

Initially, I was skeptical of the move.

“If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” was my reaction to moving away from York Road.

However, a 10,000-word university dissertation later, I am now strongly in favour of relocation.

Maidenhead United is more than just a football club.

Its Community Care Helpline helped Maidonians during the dark days of lockdown, and its Magpies in the Community programme continues to improve the lives of so many people within the town and the surrounding areas.

Even if we are relegated, I will always be so proud of what I believe is a shining beacon for the town.

A new stadium – which I understand will have a capacity of 5,000 for seating AND standing (rather than 5,000 seats, as has been pedalled out in recent months) – will allow the club to continue its work within the community.

它将提供体育男人的机会,women’s, walking and youth football, and allow the club to be self-sufficient to continue supporting the town it represents.

I highly recommend readers check out www.braywicksportshub.co.uk for a full list of benefits, but I hope the idea of a new complex, which will allow Maidenhead United to build upon its astounding work, resonates with all Maidonians.

Now, you may be wondering why I’ve penned this letter during the football off-season when we’ve not heard anything about the ground move for months.

Well, according to RBWM’s Forward Plan, cabinet is to decide on whether to agree to the 999-year lease of land on Thursday, July 27.

After what arguably has been decades of minimal support from the council to Maidenhead United, the new administration truly has an opportunity to differentiate itself from its predecessors.

By agreeing to the lease, the Lib Dem/Independent administration will set a new precedent where the Royal Borough supports one of its most valuable assets, rather than begrudgingly battle against it.

I urge all councillors to support this lease agreement, the town’s football club and the community they serve.

SHAY BOTTOMLEY

Calgary, Canada

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A swat at ChatGPT, flies and complacency

Reading various letters in The Brexitiser earlier this month, I began to suspect that maybe Farage might be right after all and that Brexit was indeed handled so badly that everything’s now going to pot.

Maybe all his fans could call it a total Brexup?

Take the local middle-class’ favourite Maidenhead supermarket for example. Could Brexup be to blame for their increasing complacency?

他们突然停止销售rganic whole milk in its homogenised form and it’s now only available as unhomogenised.

Unhomogenised milk is okay if you like bits of cream floating in your morning cuppa.

You see, according to Parkinson’s UK, the so-called healthy skimmed and semi-skimmed varieties of milk are linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s in later life, whether it’s organic milk or not.

So, we prefer to drink organic whole homogenised milk.

Also, there’s another aspect of the supermarket that could be blamed on Brexit not being rigorously delivered.

And that’s the fact that they seem to feel it’s quite okay to display their cakes unwrapped and uncovered, strategically located at coughing and sneezing height.

What’s more, the other day I thought I’d risk one of their cakes (which are delicious) but then I noticed that a couple of cheeky flies had got in there first.

So, instead of just moaning to a manager, or going on the old www dot etc.

I wrote instead to the CEO.

Yes, the CEO himself!

I asked why they no longer sell organic whole homogenised milk anymore and expressed my concerns over their lovely cakes being coughed on, sneezed on and cr**ped on, if you’ll pardon the expression.

Their customers not being responsible for the last problem you understand.

The reply was from one of the CEO’s assistants, although it seemed like she was relying on ChatGPT as her assistant.

Apparently, the reason the cakes are still unprotected as they are waiting for a refit and the wait is down to ‘various reasons’.

As for the flies, her letter stated that they ‘do see increased insect activity at this time’ and that it is hard to prevent the insects from entering when the doors are opened.

为了解决这一昆虫活动可能增加y need to establish a clearly signposted No-Fly Zone?

She also said ‘we remain vigilant where unwrapped items are concerned’.

She said offending items are destroyed where necessary.

Maybe I’ll ask them to permanently position staff, armed with fly swats – or alternatively, just cover the cakes!

As for my point about there no longer being any homogenised organic whole milk available, this question went completely unanswered.

She said that a decision was taken to homogenise the semi-skimmed milk following customer feedback around separation of the cream forming a layer on top of the milk... No, I didn’t understand it either! But maybe that’s ChatGPT for you.

Anyway, although it was extremely difficult, I think I’ve managed to blame the cr**ping flies and lack of organic homogenised whole milk in the store on Brexit being a total and utter Brexup, so that should at least satisfy all those Brexit Believers still out there.

MALCOLM STRETTEN

Riverside

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Stop hand-wringing and tackle problems

I agree with Richard Poad’s desire to see an elected second chamber or better yet none at all (Viewpoint, June 23).

However his seeming adulation of Theresa May is where we part company – her performance in the Commons during the Johnson debate reminded me of a tub- thumping lay preacher decrying the sins of the flesh or the evils of alcohol.

I would rather have had issues like migrant hotels, cost of living, net zero and increasing mortgage rates be addressed by her and her colleagues in the Commons, instead of the self-indulgent waste of a day we witnessed.

Furthermore if all politicians who misled or cheated or misbehaved were to be sacked (as they should) then the benches in the Commons would be rather empty.

To virtue signal by joining forces with the likes of H Harman and B Jenkins is somewhat hypocritical.

Back to Brexit, I await Mr Aidan’s response to Dr Cooper’s excellent letter but suspect yet again facts will be overlooked on the altar of the remain faction.

Regarding James’ failure to understand ‘global player’ it is not for me to educate him but suggest he asks a Ukrainian, Hongkonger, a fellow member of CPTPP or NATO or one of our AUKUS partners.

He continues to bemoan lack of answers to questions already addressed but how do the facts that unlike the EU we are not in recession and our GDP is superior to that of the EU sound for starters?

Would he now turn his attention to answering questions asked of him since early March, if 52-48 is not a satisfactory margin then what will be and why is my address germane to the debate?

FRED VEEVERS

Jobs Lane

Cookham Dean