North Street Proposal Defeated by Casting Vote of Committee Chair (How Each Councillor Voted)

Published on: 11 Jan, 2023
Updated on: 13 Jan, 2023

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.

Responses to North Street Proposal Defeated by Casting Vote of Committee Chair (How Each Councillor Voted)

David Bilbe Reply

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 Reply
  
  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 Reply
    
    January 13, 2023 at 5:41 pm
    
    Sarcasm does Mr Ellis no favours.
- M Durant Reply
  
  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 Reply

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?