The highly contentious planning proposal for North Street was defeated this evening following a long and tense Planning Committee meeting by the casting vote of the committee chair Cllr Fiona White (Lib Dem, Westborough).
Despite the often declared apolitical consideration by members, they voted on party lines: all Lib Dems and Conservatives voted against while R4GV, GGG and Labour voted for.
When the vote result came back as tied, seven-seven, Cllr White, as chair, cast her vote against.
How individual councillors voted
The 14 Planning committee members voted on the proposal to approve the application as follows:
John Askew (Lib Dem, Onslow) Against
Chris Barrass (R4GV, Clandon & Horsley) For
David Bilbe (Con, Normandy) Against
Ruth Brothwell (R4GV, Worplesdon) For
Colin Cross (R4GV, Lovelace) For
Angela Goodwin (Lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas) Against
Angela Gunning (Lab, Stoke) For
Liz Hogger (Lib Dem, Effingham) Against
Bob McShee (R4GV, Worplesdon) For
Marsha Moseley (Con, Ash Vale) Against
Ramsay Nagaty (GGG, Shalford) For
Deborah Seabrook (R4GV, Merrow) For
Pauline Searle (Lib Dem, Stoughton) Against
Fiona White, chair (Lib Dem, Westborough) Against
(Graham Eyre (Con, South Ash & Tongham), expected to substitute for his party colleague Paul Spooner, had sent his apologies.)
The refusal of the application negates the Secretary of State’s threat to call the application in for him to decide but the applicants, St Edwards, could still appeal.
More detailed report to follow. Please check back.
See also: North Street Plan Rejected by Borough Council in Knife-edge Vote
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David Bilbe
January 12, 2023 at 8:14 am
I made my comments and voted on planning policy and law and nothing to do with being a conservative. Any suggestion otherwise is wrong. I cannot comment further on the other parties promotion of the scheme and others like it.
David Bilbe is the Conservative borough councillor for Normandy
Craig Ellis
January 12, 2023 at 8:29 pm
With the greatest respect, why is a councillor in Normandy able to vote against something which affects those who live in the town? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, but I think it demonstrates a massive disconnect between power and the people.
I have to live next door to this desolation daily, not just on a Saturday when I drive in to buy my salmon from M&S.
Robert Douglass
January 13, 2023 at 5:41 pm
Sarcasm does Mr Ellis no favours.
M Durant
January 15, 2023 at 2:27 am
I am happy David Bilbe and the Lib Dems voted against it, the buildings are too high for the centre of town.
Frank Emery
January 12, 2023 at 10:34 am
So how much has the council wasted up to this point? At this rate, Guildford will top the list of the worst places to live in the UK.
All of the faffing about on all of the “improvement projects” for this once great town never seem to come to fruition.
We have the half-built bridge to nowhere, except an old empty restaurant and the grotty Casino corner.
Road “improvements” that don’t make anything better, just worse (ie Walnut Tree Close and London Road, Burpham). Who are GBC and SCC, are they part of the Muppet Show? I’m surprised they haven’t been featured in Prince Harry’s book Spare?