THE new owners of the former HMS Ganges naval training centre at Shotley intend to move forward "as rapidly as possible" with a development at the site.

THE new owners of the former HMS Ganges naval training centre at Shotley intend to move forward "as rapidly as possible" with a development at the site.

Project leader Martin Roat said that the site remained "a blank sheet of paper" but he was willing to listen to the views of residents with regards future development, which he hoped would be completed in 18 months.

The sale of the 16 hectare site to Haylink Ltd was only completed on Monday but representatives of the consortium, which is made up of partners East London Estates Ltd and Galliard Homes Ltd were at a meting of Shotley Parish Council last night to open a dialogue with residents.

"We are hear to listen and we are hear to do that on a regular basis," said Mr Roat flanked other members of the consortium.

"As far as we are concerned at the moment it is a blank sheet of paper. Only part of the site has planning permission, there's a part with buildings, the playing fields and another brownfield area.

"We see it as integrating with the rest of the village as one development of the southern part of the peninsula of Shotley."

Although he was unable to provide further details Mr Roat added that he foresaw a "compressive residential development" at the site.

And he called for a group made up of members of Shotley Parish Council and the Ganges Association to be formed to keep in touch with Haylink.

It was also decided that Haylink would second an appeal by Shotley Parish Council objecting to the omission of the Ganges site from the Babergh District Council draft local plan.

Councillors felt that they needed some indication of what the planning authority was prepared to see there.

Chairman of the Parish Council Patrick Mann said that he welcomed the developers' promise of a transparent procedure, adding that development on the site had been a sensitive issue since a controversial proposal to use it as accommodation for asylum seekers was mooted.

Galliard, who are the senior partners in the consortium, are a family owned company with a 30-year history and head offices in Old Burlington Street, London.

It has developed several prominent London buildings including the Clarendon Court Hotel, Little Venice, the County Hall and White House, on London's Southbank, and riverside warehouses in Docklands.

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