Letter: The Local Plan? Heaven Help Us All

Published on: 11 Apr, 2017
Updated on: 11 Apr, 2017

From Colin Cross

Lib Dem Borough councillor for Lovelace Ward

In a comment on: New Draft Local Plan – Small Reduction In Housing Targets – More in Brownfield Sites, Lisa Wright asks, “What else is wrong?

Well here are a few pointers:

No green belt, sustainability or infrastructure restraints have been taken into account by Guildford Borough Council, in spite of National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines clearly stating they must be allowed for in arriving at the final housing target.

The whittling away of the reduced SHMA (Strategic Housing Market Assessment) number by spiriting away 600 of the 1,400 houses to be used as a temporary reduction of the 15 year target for Blackwell Farm and Gosden Hill.

Make no mistake, these are not genuine reductions, read the small print and you will see that GBC is saying these site developments may run on beyond the 15 year plan life, so we will get the original numbers in the end.

But ask yourself how can they really predict that far ahead, let alone actually build a plan around such poppycock?

Similar dubious logic has been applied to former Wisley Airfield but that’s another tale.

So that’s a taster for what’s wrong with the Local Plan and I have not even got to the principle of proportionality of development across the borough or town centre housing numbers.

We are on the road to the ruination of our lovely borough. Heaven help us all.