Jardin Smith's Investment of land site in Greater London, Gerrards Cross

Patrick Chan made this Freedom of Information request to Greater London Authority This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear Greater London Authority,
I am an investor in Singapore and was approached by Jardin Smith International to invest in their landbanking site at Gerrards Cross. Jardin Smith has confirmed that they have already invested at the site.

Land on the North East side of Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8DT

1. Can you advise me if Jardin Smith is now officially
the owner of the above site ?

2. Is the above site a site protected by UK law or has this
site been considered for residential development ?

Thank you for your help and assistance.

Yours faithfully,

Patrick Chan

Greater London Authority

    From: [FOI #43212 email]
    To: [Greater London Authority request email]
    Subject: Freedom of Information request - Jardin Smith's Investment of
land site in Greater London, Gerrards Cross

The Mayor would like to thank you for your interest in his work and he is
keen to answer your query as quickly and fully as possible. As you will
appreciate, he receives a very large amount of correspondence but he is
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Thank you for taking the time to write to the Mayor of London, Boris
Johnson.

Yours truly

Public Liaison Unit

References

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Mayor of London, Greater London Authority

Dear Mr Chan,

Thank you for your correspondence received on 1 August 2010 making a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

This location falls outside the Greater London Authority area and would be a matter for the local planning authority. We therefore do not hold the information you have requested.

I would suggest that you contact the local Borough Council: http://www.southbucks.gov.uk/

You may also want to contact the UK Land Registry Service: http://www.landsearch.net/landregistry/i...

Yours sincerely,

Alison Turner
Public Liaison Unit
External Affairs

If you are unhappy with the way the GLA has handled your request, you may complain using the GLA's complaints procedure, available at:
http://www.london.gov.uk/contact-us/comp...

Dear Greater London Authority,

I am an investor in Singapore and was approached by Jardin Smith International to invest in their landbanking site at Gerrards Cross. Jardin Smith has confirmed that they have already invested at the site.

Land on the North East side of Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8DT

1. Can you advise me if Jardin Smith is now officially the owner of the above site ?

2. Is the above site a site protected by UK law or has this site been considered for residential development ?

Thank you for your help and assistance.

Yours faithfully,

Patrick Chan

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Steve F left an annotation ()

Patrick this request has been set up under the correct local authority here.

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/st...

The above link contains the response from the land registry where they confirm the land is registered and being sold off in small plots. They also confirm that it is being sold to people who want to buy a "small piece of England" . It is not being registered as suitable for building.

Joe Piper left an annotation ()

The land mentioned in Gerrards Cross is Green Belt land.

South Bucks Local Authority have clearly stated their policy on this land here

http://www.southbucks.gov.uk/environment...

In summary

".....the Council can meet its development requirements at least to 2026 without the need for the release of any land from the Green Belt for development.

Therefore if the plot of land you are interested in is currently in the Green Belt it is very likely to remain as Green Belt – in which case the strongest policies of restraint upon development will still apply.

Please give serious consideration to the above points before purchasing any plots advertised as an investment opportunity. It is likely that they are not."

Patrick Chan left an annotation ()

Thank you Joe and Steve for your valuable advices.

kindest regards.

Not. Law left an annotation ()

Well, enough said! Invest Land in the Canada or the USA instead. I chose Walton!
It just makes perfect sense, land being cheap and there is so much of land to grab in Canada compared to the UK.
Just look at the statistics below and you'll understand why.
With Jardin Smith, you'll be buying land in a country way too congested. The density per sq km is 652 in UK.
In Canada, the density per sq km is only 3!
I leave it to you to make the right choice. The best investors always go back to basics, which is demand and supply!
Once you do that, you will always be able to make a better decision!

UNITED KINGDOM
Land area: 93,278 sq mi (241,590 sq km); total area: 94,526 sq mi (244,820 sq km)
Population (2010 est.): 61,284,806 (growth rate: 0.2%); birth rate: 10.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.7/1000; life expectancy: 79.1; density per sq km: 652
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): London, 7,615,000 (metro. area), 7,429,200 (city proper)

Read more: United Kingdom: History, Geography, Government, and Culture — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108078.h...

CANADA
Land area: 3,511,003 sq mi (9,093,507 sq km); total area: 3,855,102 sq mi (9,984,670 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 33,759,742 (growth rate: 0.8%); birth rate: 10.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.9/1000; life expectancy: 81.3; density per sq km: 3
Capital (2004 est.): Ottawa, Ontario, 1,142,700 (metro. area)

Read more: Canada: History, Geography, Government, and Culture — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107386.h...

Mrs B left an annotation ()

I just wish to point out that there are increasing instances where greenbelt has been given planning permission. (http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/housin...) There are also companies in the UK that 'specialize in gaining planning permission in areas of development constraint such as the countryside, Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.'

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

A number of annotations have been removed from this thread after solicitors acting for a company named in this thread wrote to us claiming some of the material posted was defamatory.

Our service is only for making FOI requests; any discussion about material released ought take place elsewhere.

South Bucks District Council have a webpage offering advice to those thinking of buying a plot of green belt land in the area:

http://www.southbucks.gov.uk/article/388...

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Richard - WhatDoTheyKnow.com volunteer