Letter: The Wisley Bid Decision is a Foolish, Vainglorious Venture

Published on: 9 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 10 Nov, 2018

From Colin Cross

Independent borough councillor for Lovelace (Ripley, Wisley and Ockham)

In response to: GBC Stand to Get More Eye Awards Over Wisley

This latest vanity project from the GBC Tory Executive, a proposed bid for government money to make a proposal for a “garden community” at the former Wisley Airfield, is laughable, but while making fun of it the question occurs, why on earth are they doing it?

Their excuse given is that they need all the money they can lay their hands on so as to improve infrastructure etc across the borough, ie not necessarily at this site.

I’m not sure how that will go down during the bid process evaluation as the general idea is to use the grant to improve the services and sustainability at the site itself.

It will be very interesting to see how the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire, tackles the conundrum of a borough applying for such a grant when, only six months ago, he wholeheartedly endorsed his planning inspector’s total rejection of a planning appeal for a development on the site on virtually every possible level.

The lack of adequate transport infrastructure was a “fatal failing”, the local cycle network was ” largely unworkable “, the environmental dimension was “unmet”, the effect on the neighbourhood would be ”catastrophic“, the harm to the local character would be “severe”, and it simply does not constitute a sustainable development.

Mr Brokenshire gave his full support to these huge criticisms and probably thought he had heard the last of this white elephant of a site.

But no, he had not reckoned with Cllrs Spooner and Furniss who are not put off that easily. Perhaps they hoped he had forgotten all that by now, after all it was six months ago and he’s been busy.

One small problem is the successful bids must comply with an onerous list of 15 or more criteria relating to a comprehensive range of safeguards to ensure that the development will truly be a “garden village” not a dormitory town.

But that’s just it, the GBC application is, of course, for a dormitory town and will have to claim black is white to argue otherwise.

Not only is this a foolish, vainglorious venture but it has been dumped on an overworked planning department at a time when they are up to their necks with trying to finalise the umpteenth version of a much reviled Local Plan.

When they were found to be not up to muster with this task they were rounded on by, who else, Cllr Paul Spooner of course. No doubt there will be demotions or worse when the bid sinks without a trace, as it surely must.

Ah well, back to the drawing board…

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