Letter: The Urnfield Planning Meeting Was a Shambles

Published on: 4 Dec, 2021
Updated on: 5 Dec, 2021

From: James Smith

In response to: Urnfield Sports Ground Application Rejected Against Planning Officers’ Advice

The whole meeting was a shambles. I couldn’t believe how unprofessional it was. I would highly recommend that anyone who hasn’t seen it, to get onto the GBC website and watch. You’d never vote for these people again.

The fact of the matter is that this development has been politically charged from the beginning. The councillors are terrified of losing votes and were clearly under a lot of pressure from local constituents to reject it.

They didn’t even want to hear the full comments of the planning officers. The councillors’ decision to overturn the officers’ recommendation was based on nothing more than a loose, opinionated application of planning rules and, unfortunately for them, their ramblings and anecdotes of childhood sport, literally handed the applicant their appeal, on a silver platter.

After watching the two headmasters talk, I truly wish we could have more people like them in local government. Educated, well-spoken, eloquent and factual. Such a contrast. Anyway, a sad day for youth sport, a sad day for our schools and another sad day in the council chambers.