Shalford Councillors Renege on Election Green Belt Pledge

Published on: 18 May, 2017
Updated on: 20 May, 2017

The In Touch newsletter from May 2015

Two Shalford borough councillors have failed to explain to The Guildford Dragon NEWS why they have reneged on an election commitment to oppose development of Blackwell Farm, near the Hog’s Back.

Cllr Mike Parsons

In an In Touch Conservative 2015 election newsletter it was stated, within an article headlined “Conservatives Vow to Protect Our Greenbelt”, “…The fight goes on however against Blackwell Farm, with Conservative candidates Michael Illman and Mike Parsons opposing any attempt by the University of Surrey to expand into the countryside.”

But on Tuesday evening (May 16, 2017) both councillors, who were elected to Guildford Borough Council (GBC) for the first time in May 2015, voted against an amendment that would have removed Blackwell Farm from the draft Local Plan.

Cllr Illman, who is now on the council Executive as lead member for finance, and Cllr Parsons, who is now the Deputy Mayor of Guildford, have failed to respond to an invitation to explain their change of mind.

Cllr Michael Illman

During Tuesday evening’s debate, Illman said: “We are representatives, we are not delegates. We are not here to agree with everything that all of our residents say and would like us to say. We are here though to do the best for Guildford and to represent the best interests of Guildford and look at the bigger picture.”

Cllr Tony Phillips (Lib Dem, Onslow), who moved the amendment to remove Blackwell Farm from the council’s plan, said today (May 18): “I find it totally regrettable and morally unacceptable that those Tories who previously supported the fight to oppose the Blackwell Farm site as part of their election bid should feel unable to honour their commitment by voting for its exclusion from the draft Local Plan.

Cllr Tony Phillips

“Despite what some Tory councillors may say, it is irrefutable that part of the AONB [area of outstanding Natural beauty] will be bulldozed over to provide the access road to the Blackwell Farm site with the loss of trees that are centuries old, destroying forever part of our precious and dwindling landscape heritage.

“Sadly the Tory ruling group on GBC has also failed to take an opportunity to apply bona-fide green belt and planning policy constraints to this Local Plan.”