Letter: Will We Just Become the 34th London Borough?

Published on: 18 Aug, 2014
Updated on: 18 Aug, 2014

From John Robson

I don’t think that the Draft Local Plan is really a draft. I believe the Guildford Borough Council (GBC) Executive consider this to be the version that will go forward. Development of the green belt has been the prime objective since day one; it was the GBC’s mantra at the first workshop I attended nearly 12 months ago.

The draft will, of course, be subject to a few tweaks and concessions to appease areas in which key Conservative councillors are being subjected to the most pressure by the electorate in the coming weeks – that’s politics.

Despite the supposed all encompassing “consultation” the only voices GBC’s executive appear to listen to are the ones that hold the purse strings, the government and the property developers.

Sometimes in life you need to take one step back, in order to take two steps forward, now is such a time. Due to the “exceptional circumstances” now surrounding the execution of this plan, we need to take stock, we need a six month moratorium to ensure we make the correct decisions to prevent irreparable damage to the fabric of this town.

Otherwise I fear what happens as a result will prove to be to the detriment of this town and it’s unique positioning within the green belt – the 34th borough of London, coming to a town near you… soon.

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