24 March 2010
Alok Sharma, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, has called into question the value of Reading's latest LDF consultation process following correspondence with Reading Borough Council's planning department regarding the Bath Road Reservoir site.
Despite huge public opposition to any development on the Bath Road Reservoir site, and cross-party support for the Reservoir Campaign, Reading Borough Council still shows the site as suitable for up to 80 homes in its latest LDF plan which is currently out to public consultation.
Alok Sharma wrote to the Council's Head of Planning last month asking: "If, once again, you receive an overwhelming response from local residents to the Council's latest LDF consultation that they do not want any development on this site, or would only accept a development with significantly less than the current 80 homes maximum specified, will the Council alter its LDF to reflect that local view?"
The Council's planning department has responded to Alok Sharma in a letter stating: "Unfortunately, unless new significant material planning considerations that have not previously been raised are put forward, it is very unlikely that the LDF team's professional advice to the Council could change."
Commenting on the latest LDF consultation process Alok Sharma said: "I question the worth of the statutory consultation process if the wishes of the local community are going to be ignored anyway and the final LDF plan will most likely still show 80 homes to be built on the site. I don't blame the Council's officers because they are just following planning guidelines and top-down housing targets laid down by central Government. However if this consultation process does not take account of the opinions of the many people who have campaigned for over two years to stop development on this site, it will be seen by local people as a complete mockery of local democracy. I would still urge local residents to participate in this consultation to send an even louder message to the Council about not wanting to see a large number of homes dumped on this site."
Alok added: "Under a Conservative Government we will be getting rid of all this nonsense of top-down housing targets and local people really will get to decide where new homes are built."
Graham Griffiths, a member of the Save the Bath Road Reservoir Campaign, commented: “The whole planning process seems to be slanted in favour of developers. It appears that public consultations are given so little weight, one wonders if they are anything more than tick box exercises and a squandering of public funds. Cases such as this make a mockery out of so called local democracy and calls for increased public participation in decision making processes.”
Fellow campaigner Mel Woodward said: “Councils are obliged by national government policy to carry out these public consultations, yet at the same time, government planning policies mean that they cannot listen to a word the public say – it makes the whole thing pointless, makes the Council look like they are just making an empty gesture, and undermines residents’ confidence in their local Council.”
Despite huge public opposition to any development on the Bath Road Reservoir site, and cross-party support for the Reservoir Campaign, Reading Borough Council still shows the site as suitable for up to 80 homes in its latest LDF plan which is currently out to public consultation.
Alok Sharma wrote to the Council's Head of Planning last month asking: "If, once again, you receive an overwhelming response from local residents to the Council's latest LDF consultation that they do not want any development on this site, or would only accept a development with significantly less than the current 80 homes maximum specified, will the Council alter its LDF to reflect that local view?"
The Council's planning department has responded to Alok Sharma in a letter stating: "Unfortunately, unless new significant material planning considerations that have not previously been raised are put forward, it is very unlikely that the LDF team's professional advice to the Council could change."
Commenting on the latest LDF consultation process Alok Sharma said: "I question the worth of the statutory consultation process if the wishes of the local community are going to be ignored anyway and the final LDF plan will most likely still show 80 homes to be built on the site. I don't blame the Council's officers because they are just following planning guidelines and top-down housing targets laid down by central Government. However if this consultation process does not take account of the opinions of the many people who have campaigned for over two years to stop development on this site, it will be seen by local people as a complete mockery of local democracy. I would still urge local residents to participate in this consultation to send an even louder message to the Council about not wanting to see a large number of homes dumped on this site."
Alok added: "Under a Conservative Government we will be getting rid of all this nonsense of top-down housing targets and local people really will get to decide where new homes are built."
Graham Griffiths, a member of the Save the Bath Road Reservoir Campaign, commented: “The whole planning process seems to be slanted in favour of developers. It appears that public consultations are given so little weight, one wonders if they are anything more than tick box exercises and a squandering of public funds. Cases such as this make a mockery out of so called local democracy and calls for increased public participation in decision making processes.”
Fellow campaigner Mel Woodward said: “Councils are obliged by national government policy to carry out these public consultations, yet at the same time, government planning policies mean that they cannot listen to a word the public say – it makes the whole thing pointless, makes the Council look like they are just making an empty gesture, and undermines residents’ confidence in their local Council.”
