Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement

Hazelmere

Critical Aylesbury housing decision descended into petty party politics

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 07 May 2009
THAT'S the view of today's correspondents who attended last night's meeting on the direction of future housing growth in Aylesbury.
How can something as critical as the decision on AVDC Core Strategy descend into petty party politics when the future of the Vale for generations to come was decided by a "whipped" conservative majority.

Last night we attended the special council meeting to decide the Core Strategy and Direction of Future Growth. In spite of one whingeing conservative denial and two laudable abstentions it was clear that the majority party were hell-bent on pushing through a flawed and unsound strategy.

Even the officers of the council maintain (and confirmed at the meeting) that the Southern Arc is "technically" the best choice but they seem to have been swayed by undue pressure to recommend this "U" turn.

The phrase "on balance" was trotted out with regular monotony as to why the Eastern Arc was best. "On balance" is now a convenient euphemism for "we can't provide genuine evidence or valid reasons but we want it anyway".

Several conservative councillors used scaremongering tactics (the threat of AVDC losing their planning rights) as justification for forcing it through on the night. Based on their display this council doesn't deserve to keep its planning rights!

After this farce we can only trust in the common sense and professional scrutiny of the Planning Inspector to reject this strategy.

Yours sincerely

Roger and Marion Mills
(Watermead Residents)

Do you agree with Mr and Mrs Mills?

To comment on this or any other Bucks Herald story, click here.

To post comments directly on this website, click on the Comment on this Story link below

Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 07 May 2009 5:16 PM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Aylesbury
 
Prev
1
Next
1

BarryBob,

07/05/2009 17:55:20
Totally agree and well said. I too attended the meeting and was disgusted. The conservatives had no counter arguments to the evidence that was brought up against the eastern arc. I think that the council should lose their planning powers as this u-turn shows they have decided to pure base the planning decision on the number of nimby objectors and not on clear and concise planning evidence. Shame on these conservative councillors
2

Sarah Feeney,

Bierton 11/05/2009 19:56:00
Thanks to the Tory vote, Aylesbury residents can now look forward to a housing development plan that will lead to the obliteration of the villages of Bierton and Broughton, and Watermead, as they will be totally engulfed by new housing. They will cease to exist as separate entities.
At the public cabinet meeting last Wednesday, when all the district councillors were to vote on whether to accept the Core Strategy for development in Aylesbury Vale, again no satisfactory, direct answer was given as to why the council changed its housing plan from its original recommendation of the Southern Arc to the Eastern Arc.
Many councillors expressed great concern that if the Core Strategy was not agreed that night, then the council ran the risk of losing its planning powers. They seemed more concerned about this than the public and other councillors’ concerns as to whether the Eastern Arc was the right plan for the direction of housing growth. All those in opposition to the Eastern Arc are still not convinced that the right plan is being put forward.
Very few Aylesbury residents want the housing by them. The argument isn’t about whether housing should be built or not - we are told we have no choice as it is a central government directive - but about whether Aylesbury council is putting forward the right plan. There is a great risk that the government inspector will criticise the Eastern Arc decision, as well as the consultation process, as flawed and unsound.
Some Tory councillors have implied that if the Tories get into power at the next general election, they will review Labour’s housing policies, even the plan they are now submitting. However, once a planning decision has been made and agreed by the council, and accepted by the government inspector, it cannot be reversed, whatever the change of government. Aylesbury’s current, and future, district council will have to accept responsibility for implementing an extremely unpopular, unsound, devastating and irreversible
3

JR,

01/06/2009 19:51:03
The Tories voting FOR housing development?
I think you are mistaken, you must have heard wrong & your eyesight must be defective.
The Tories (God bless every one of them) state, quite clearly, in their election bumpf that they "will continue to call for infrastructure before expansion and to fight Labour's housing plans for Aylesbury Vale"
Sorry Sarah, but I believe everything the Tory leaflet is telling me & they can count on my vote on June 4th (even if I have to give my carers the slip) and if I were allowed access to pens, pencils and other sharp objects I would write to them all and tell them what a marvellous job they are doing (I don't think a letter written in crayon would be as believable do you?)
Prev
1
Next

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.