Information Black Hole
In 2003, sense was stunned by the size of the NSE's redevelopment proposal and the abrupt manner in which it was sprung on their neighbours. The next biggest surprise was the absence of information about the benefits to the Care Residents, for whom this scheme is touted as being about! The NSE's publicised manifesto talks about their (the NSE's) duty to comply with changes in law rather than looking at matters from the Residents' perspective.

Let  sense do this instead.

Firstly, how do matters stand today? (Aug 2003)
The residential facilities appear barely adequate and run-down. sense fully accept that large-scale renovation, refurbishment or (probably) rebuild over the coming years is appropriate and deserved by the Care Residents. But this is not the complete picture. Are they happy? sense's impression is that, generally, they are. This is due in no small part to the efforts of the NSE's care staff. Their overall quality of life is quite good, including as it does stable communities, pleasant and peaceful surroundings and, probably, a feeling of security/belonging.

[Update June 2004: sense's perception has changed. The care residents seem concerned about impending change and the uncertainty it brings. The moral has not improved since August 2003].

The importance of 'Quality of Life' for the NSE's long-term care residents is perhaps most appropriately demonstrated by the benefits granted to them by the special microclimate at Chalfont Common.  Indeed, when the NSE was seeking permission to build their MRI scanner on Green Belt land just a few years ago, the NSE's management drew particular attention to this microclimate with Chiltern District Council. It seems that the NSE thought the open-plan, semi-rural and tranquil nature of the site and its surroundings was of major benefit to its residents.

Secondly, how will this change if the NSE Scheme is executed?
Well, the accommodation/facilities would improve markedly (and as noted above, sense think the core elements of this should happen).

As mentioned elsewhere, the residents will lose the amenity of the Green Belt land developed. They will also lose much of the 'quiet enjoyment' of the Northern part of the site - birdsong, wild flowers, rabbits, grassy fields etc. They will have to deal with extra vehicles, pollution and disturbance for the foreseeable future. This is likely to extend into early mornings and later into the evenings. Their World would be smaller and more compact. Their 880 new neighbours will have different backgrounds to their existing neighbours - this could well be problematic. There would be many more of those neighbours. Rather than enjoying a Chalfont Common microclimate, they will be part of a new town.

Those who work at the bookbinding plant will no longer be able to do so - although they may be able to be bussed to/from an alternative works elsewhere. The non-physical aspects of their welfare will not improve.

Thirdly, how do we get from now to then?
With huge disruption and disturbance. The residents will have to live on a quasi building site for a considerable period, suffer relocation(s), noise and general stress on a huge scale.

Finally, what other consequences may arise?
Well, it seems quite likely that the residents will become more isolationist as a result of the intensive housing development, the compression of the site and one or two new 'amenities' to be created.

Surely the sense-ible approach is to upgrade the care accommodation over the coming few years (NOT a complete site demolition and rebuild) so as to cause minimum disruption/dislocation to those in the NSE's care? As mentioned elsewhere, this would cost only a small fraction of the £25£32Million the NSE management want to throw at their project.

May 2004 Update
We're nearly a year on from the original £25Million proposal. If the NSE had moved early on sense's simpler and lower cost proposal they could be past planning consents and perhaps building new care homes by now for their charges to be occupying by Christmas 2004. Instead their scheme has become grander and still less palatable to those outside their boundaries. The timescale for a good result for the care residents has been extended and its outcome still far from certain.