Letter: The Plan is Toast

Published on: 24 Sep, 2014
Updated on: 24 Sep, 2014

From Gerald Bland

On any view the first Regulation 18 consultation on the Draft Local Plan expired on 22nd September.

A second consultation commencing on 23rd September and lasting just 72 hours not only offends good governance but is unlikely to be Regulation 18 compliant.

Anyone who has read all 991 pages of the Guildford Society’s representations on the Draft Local Plan will regard the point as academic. The plan is toast!

Gerald Bland is a Director of the Guildford Vision Group and a member of the Guildford Society.

Responses to Letter: The Plan is Toast

Neville Bryan Reply

September 24, 2014 at 8:00 pm

And the Executive is the marmalade?
Martin Elliott Reply

September 24, 2014 at 9:06 pm

How can anybody say that when Cllr Mansbridge did the tour of the local radio stations and…

Well what did he actually say? What I heard on Eagle Radio certainly wasn’t an apology.
Colin Cross Reply

September 24, 2014 at 11:14 pm

Or just a case of too much bread all round?
Julian Lyon Reply

September 25, 2014 at 4:26 pm

Crumbs – is that really the case? [We have had marmalade – I suppose “Crumbs” was inevitable. Ed]

I think the council, led by Cllr Mansbridge, and with a new head planner, will take a good hard look at the feedback (Secton 18 compliant or not) and realise they need to have better evidence which will show there will need to be some substantial adjustments to the plan and that they will need a new Section 18 consultation.

Please let’s keep the dialogue positive and think in terms of getting the right plan in place sooner rather then later. I know emotions have run strong and we need to capture the strength of feelings to shape a good plan for our great place.

I am, nevertheless, prepared to put faith in our council to do the right thing now but they may need the occasional reminder of the forthcoming election to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Colin Cross Reply

September 26, 2014 at 12:24 pm

Hopefully, the near 50 per cent swing against the Tories in Lovelace last night can be seen
as the first of these reminders for the Tory majority on the GBC, it will not be the last.

Colin Cross is the newly elected Lib Dem councillor for Lovelace ward.