Letter: Councillors Should Admit Their Error Over Burchatt’s Barn

Published on: 3 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 4 Mar, 2019

Burchatt’s Barn

From Gordon Bridger

hon alderman and former Mayor of Guildford

In response to: Opposition Grows to Commercial Use of Burchatt’s Barn

The reason that Burchatt’s Barn was not used as a community amenity was the high hourly charge for peak use. The rent now negotiated of £40k per annum is just about the same as the council could earn from renting the two flats and from local users renting the barn, so why bother?

Now that the council has said that the deserving Guildford Shakespeare Company are content with an offer of good alternative accommodation we should expect it to revert to its original community function for which it was intended.

Planning guidelines are quite clear that it is a community asset. The applicant’s claim of category D1 use is nonsense, as any professional planner will know. GBC planners could not possibly approve it.

It was unfortunate that the Christchurch ward councillors Furniss and Nelson-Smith, and fellow Property Review Group member Cllr Reeves, all three senior councillors, did not object to Cllr Manning’s recommendation. It was serious error and they should have the courage to admit this. It has caused massive dismay. A change of mind and an apology would be a sign of strength.