Lib Dems Back Their Residents as Council Adopts ‘Flawed’ Local Plan

Published on: 28 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 30 Apr, 2019

When the Local Plan was adopted by Guildford Borough Council last week, supported by the overwhelming majority of Conservative members and days before the borough elections, Liberal Democrat councillors continued their criticism, but voted, they claimed, according to the best interests of the residents of their ward.

Lib Dems David Goodwin (Onslow) and Gillian Harwood (Stoughton) voted against the Plan.

David Goodwin, one of three Lib Dem candidates for Onslow and a long-standing borough and county councillor, voted against the Plan. He said: “Councillors must listen to their residents and represent their best interests.

“Onslow residents tell us they don’t want to lose the beautiful open sweep of countryside at Blackwell Farm, and that our roads cannot cope with the extra traffic. Already key routes can be brought to a standstill by a single breakdown, with ambulances unable to get through to the Royal Surrey hospital.”

Caroline Reeves, the Lib Dem group Leader who represents the town centre ward of Friary & St Nicolas, said: “The Lib Dems have always argued for a fair Local Plan, which spreads development proportionately across the borough.

Caroline Reeves (left) (Friary & St Nicolas) voted for the Plan, Liz Hogger (Effingham) abstained while Angela Goodwin (right) (Friary & St Nicolas) had to leave before the vote was taken. Out of shot, to the right, was Pauline Searle (Stoughton) who also abstained.

“We need to prevent over-development in both town and countryside, and protect our open green spaces in the town as well as our green belt. This Local Plan is far from fair, but it is the only one on offer.”

Cllr Reeves outlined the damaging impact on local services of uncontrolled development in the town centre. “Already about 3,000 student units are either agreed, about to come forward or at pre-app either in the ward or right on the boundary,” she said.

“We also have 1,300 homes proposed collectively through the Solum site, the North Street site and the Guildford Park Avenue site, right on our border. None of these are bringing infrastructure improvements of any scale, but could increase the population by more than 4,500.

“Our schools are full, we have to wait three weeks for a doctor’s appointment, and we urgently need good flood defences.

Tony Phillips, at his final council meeting before retiring, voted, with his Onslow colleague David Goodwin, against the Plan. Julia McShane (Westborough) was not at the meeting, having sent apologies.

“The lack of a five-year housing-land supply means we can’t confidently refuse inappropriate developments without the risk of overturn at appeal. This is a problem across the town, particularly in Westborough, Stoughton and Stoke as well as my own ward.

“An adopted Local Plan is vital to protect the town from over-development and to deliver desperately needed infrastructure. I stood up for my residents by voting to adopt this Plan.”

Liz Hogger, representing the green belt ward of Effingham, abstained on the vote. After the meeting, she said: “I could not support a flawed Local Plan which takes far more land out of the green belt than we actually need to meet the reduced housing requirement.

“The council could take the site allocation for 2,000 houses at the former Wisley Airfield out of this Plan, and we’d still have the 20% buffer of extra land that we need to meet NPPF requirements. Local people know full well the proposed Wisley new town is not sustainable. It would pour traffic onto local rural roads which cannot cope, and it would damage our environment in the rural east of the borough.

“But on behalf of my residents, I had to weigh that against the potential harm to Effingham village if the Local Plan is not adopted. Without an adopted Local Plan, we don’t have a five-year housing-land supply. Without that, it is hard to refuse planning applications for housing development which would harm our village, since they are likely to be allowed at appeal.

“Examples include the recent application for 23 homes on the Church Street field in the heart of the Conservation Area, a rumoured intention to replace a well-loved local pub with housing, and the possible revival of the proposal for a ‘Leewood Park’ development of housing on green belt at the edge of the village.

“My worry about this is matched by my outrage about the unnecessary loss of green belt in the Plan. I decided to abstain so the Conservative majority on this Council is clearly accountable for the decision to adopt the Local Plan produced under their leadership.”

Zoe Franklin, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Guildford, said: “I am proud that our Lib Dem councillors had the courage to stand up for their residents and vote in accordance with the best interests of the communities they represent. Their actions prove that Lib Dem councillors will always put their residents first, with no pressure to toe a party line.”

Responses to Lib Dems Back Their Residents as Council Adopts ‘Flawed’ Local Plan

Colin Cross Reply

April 28, 2019 at 2:17 pm

Taking Cllr Reeves words, “The LDs have always argued for a fair Local Plan that spreads development proportionally across the borough.” Then why did she vote for this fundamentally flawed and unbalanced Plan?

Taking Lovelace Ward we currently have 1,300 or so properties across our rural villages but this plan will expand that number to 3900, that’s a 3-fold increase, with no obvious Infrastructure/ transport improvements to alleviate the impending chaos on our roads.

In a three-mile radius of Ripley, the Local Plan has sites for approximately 55% of the entire housing target, just in one corner of NE Guildford and virtually all on green belt land.

In the meantime our town, which currently represents half the borough’s housing stock,

Is having a disproportionately small increase in its planned homes of only 10 – 15%.

So if the LDs really meant what they claim why did not they immediately highlight this disproportionate and unfair spread of development in the Local Plan and campaign and vote against it instead of voting for it as their leader did?

Actions speak louder than words in Councillor Reeves case sadly and we must draw our own conclusions as to her true motivation in voting for this dreadful Local Plan.

Colin Cross is a R4GV candidate for Lovelace in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.
John Redpath Reply

April 28, 2019 at 3:44 pm

Whether they made the right decision or not those who voted for or against adoption at least showed some guile.

How pathetic then the fence sitters – why did they bother to turn up? Why did they bother to become councillors?
To abstain on such an important motion is very poor behaviour indeed, how can they say they support their residents views!
David Roberts Reply

April 28, 2019 at 9:09 pm

Hand-wringing is not a policy. The LibDems are all over the place on this plan, and have spectacularly failed in their duty as the chief opposition party on the council. Like the Tories, they can expect – and deserve – to haemorrhage votes to GGG and R4GV on Thursday.
John Williams Reply

April 29, 2019 at 8:54 am

Good to see that some of the Lib Dems opposed the Local Plan. This is a change from the normal where they have sheepishly followed Messrs Spooner and Furniss. Regret to say, Lib Dems have been an ineffective opposition led by Caroline Reeves. Let’s hope for more independent R4GV [Residents for Guildford & Villages] councillors who can put the Council leaders under some sharper public spotlight than they currently cherish.
George Dokimakis Reply

April 29, 2019 at 2:12 pm

Unfortunately, sitting on the fence does not represent local views. Even worse, not turning up to the meeting as some Lib Dem councillors failed to do is even worse.

George Dokimakis is a Labour candidate for Westborough in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.

Editor’s note: Apologies were given from Cllrs Murray Grubb Jr (Con, Ash Wharf) and Julia McShane (Lib Dem, Westborough). Cllr Michael Illman (Con, Shalford) was also absent. Cllr Angela Goodwin (Lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas) left before the votes were taken.
- George Potter Reply
  
  April 30, 2019 at 9:10 am
  
  Based on my previous experiences with Mr Dokimakis I’m not surprised that he’s trying to turn one Lib Dem councillor being sick (and therefore unable to attend), and another having caring responsibilities, into an opportunity for political point-scoring.
  
  But sadly, I can’t say I’m surprised at that at all coming from Guildford Labour. If they spent half as much time actually talking to residents as they do attacking other parties then they might actually get somewhere.
  
  George Potter is a Lib Dem candidate for Burpham in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.
  - James Walsh Reply
    
    May 1, 2019 at 11:22 am
    
    Hmmm. No-one has seen much in the way of the Lib Dems talking to residents in Stoke recently – it’s one of the biggest complaints we’re hearing on the doorstep.
    
    Indeed, they’ve only managed to put forward one candidate in a three-way marginal seat… and no talking to residents whatsoever.
    
    James Walsh is a Labour candidate for Stoke in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.
    - George Potter Reply
      
      May 1, 2019 at 12:29 pm
      
      We Lib Dems have most definitely been out door knocking in Stoke. I should know, because I was one of the people doing door knocking! And what residents have been telling us is that they are disappointed by a Labour team that is largely invisible and is doing very little for residents.
      
      We might only be standing one candidate but that’s because we decided we would rather field one good candidate, whose children go to school in the ward and has strong links to Bellfields, rather than put forward one serious and one non-serious candidate.
      
      George Potter is a Lib Dem candidate for Burpham in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.
Ben Paton Reply

April 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

The Lib Dems had many opportunities to shape the Local Plan. They took none of them. Instead, they went along with the Mansbridge-Juneja ‘trajectory’.

Critical points at which they could have intervened, but didn’t, were:

1. Assessment of the Housing Need numbers. The LibDems had the chair of the Scrutiny Committee. But they and their Conservative colleagues refused to scrutinise the Strategic Housing Market Assessment. They would not even open the study and critique it. Too complicated they said.
2. Assessment of Monika Junjeja’s fitness to lead the council’s Local Plan. Residents pointed out that this Cllr was masquerading as a professional barrister. The Bar Standards Board wrote to GBC and invited it to reopen its examination of her credentials. Did one single Lib Dem speak up? Not one.
3. Three Farms Meadow, aka former Wisley airfield. The leader of the Lib Dems agreed with the leader of the council that no debate on the submission of a garden village bid for this site was necessary. She did not even consult the ward councillor, who resigned from the Lib Dem group in disgust. The Lib Dems have had five years in which to oppose this site. Where were they then?

Balancing arguments can be used in many ways. The Lib Dems have used them to go along with the Conservative trajectory set by Mansbridge and Juneja. They did not think clearly enough early enough. Prevention would have been better than cure. Now we are lumbered with a local plan that perhaps only a judge will be able to correct. Wringing their hands now, after they failed to intervene in good time then, should not fool anyone.

Be Paton is a GGG candidate for Effingham in the borough council elections to be held on May