U-Turn Over Housing Numbers In Draft Plan Is Welcomed By Protesters

Published on: 24 May, 2014
Updated on: 24 May, 2014

Protesters fighting to prevent development on green belt land say they are delighted that Guildford Borough Council’s scrutiny committee has decided to revise housing numbers in its draft Local Plan.

The chairman of the Guildford Greenbelt Group, Susan Parker, has described the move as an “astonishing and dramatic U-turn”.

At the meeting on May 15, Susan Parker, who was present until she was ejected over matters concerning her allotted time in questioning the committee, said: “A surprise vote was called, which was not on the agenda. The motion was not formally worded, but on an ad hoc basis was ‘to express concern over the housing number set out in the draft Local Plan and to ask the head of planning services and the lead councillor for planning to review the numbers before it comes back to the Executive’. This motion was passed, with no dissenting votes, by the combined scrutiny committee.”

The scrutiny committee meeting can be viewed on a webcast on the Guildford Borough Council website.http://www.guildford.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/135899