RSS opposition meeting

I attended a meeting a Bournemouth Town Hall this afternoon about coordinating opposition to the Regional Spatial Strategy.

The leaders of each of the local authorities covering South East Dorset were invited, along with the local MPs, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, Friends of the Earth and the chair-people of the various action groups set up to oppose the RSS proposals in each of the areas.

I was delighted that we had such a good turn out from everyone.

The meeting was hosted by the Local Development Framework group on Bournemouth Council. The group includes a member from each of the political parties represented on the Council, in Bournemouth it's going to be this group that puts together our submission to the RSS proposals once the announcement of the final scheme has been made by the Secretary of State.

The proposals, if they remain as initially proposed, will change the character of our area for ever. As I've said often enough before.

The purpose of the meeting was for us to coordinate our opposition to the proposals.

We wanted to ensure that the local councils were all on the same page in their opposition to the proposals. That they were sharing their submissions with one another, to ensure commonality in their responses, and that this information was going to be made to the local action groups and other concerned parties to help them with their responses.

I'm very pleased to say that all of these points were agreed.

We then went on to discuss the opportunities for creating events highlighting the opposition in the area to the proposals in order that we can obtain maximum publicity for our opposition. Ideas included creating a human chain from Throop to Lytchett Minster.

We'll be meeting again once the RSS announcement has been made.

Proposed Planning Bill: More Centralisation; More Control Freakery; Less Democracy

The BBC are reporting growing opposition amongst Labour MPs to the proposed Planning Bill here.

Good for them!  These proposals place decision making powers over 'major' projects in the hands of an unelected commission.  Local councils, MPs and even government minsters would have no say in planning proposals referred to the commission.

The proposed commission would presumably be similar to the unelected and unaccountable Planning Inspectorate, deliberating remotely on planning applications without reference to local peoples' views.

We need more accountability, local control over planning decisions and greater transparency in the process.  This Bill will result in the exact opposite, more centralisation and less democracy.  

Lytchett Minster most under threat

Lytchett Minster will shoulder the greatest burden of development under the Government Inspectors’ plans.

With 2,750 extra homes planned around Lytchett Minster the infrastructure overload is of greatest concern.

Town and Purbeck Councillor for Lytchett Minster and Upton West, Paul Johns says: “Our area is under the greatest threat from these plans. Traffic problems at peak periods are all ready chaotic at Upton Cross and on the Blandford, Dorchester & Poole Roads. “

Other infrastructure concerns are around health, education and leisure. Spokesman for Lytchett Minster and Upton East, Simon Williams asks, “where will the extra people go to access doctors and dentists, and where are their children going to go to school? If the development were to go ahead additional funding for local services would be vital.”

Councillor Paul Johns is urging people to ensure their voices are heard over the proposals.

“When the formal consultation process starts in June and July we will be helping people to write in with their comments. In the meantime we would urge local people to become involved in the local Action Groups being set up to oppose the developments and to sign our petition calling for local people to decide on the size and site of the new housing,” says Paul.

Roy calls for affordable homes for local people

Chairman of Purbeck District Council, Roy Anderson, is most concerned about the provision of affordable housing for local people.

“These development plans make no provision for ensuring that local people are given preferential consideration when they are built,” says Roy.

The Government inspectors are recommending that 2,400 homes should be built throughout Purbeck in addition to the proposed development between Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers.

“If the profile of buyers for these homes remains similar to those for the new developments in many locations around Purbeck, up to 60% of the purchasers could be people from outside the area looking for a second, holiday, home,” says Roy.

“The Government must ensure that local people are able to decide where these developments are placed, what kind of housing they provide and, most importantly, that incentives can be offered to ensure that they are available to local people.”

What is the Regional Spatial Strategy?

We're banging on about it, but what is it?

The Regional Spatial Strategy (or RSS) is the process through which local authorities have to meet Government housing targets.

Organised regionally, the initial proposals were given to and debated by local councils. Their responses were then collated by Government appointed inspectors who made proposals to the Secretary of State.

This is the point the process has now reached. The proposals made by the inspectors have completely ignored the representations made by Purbeck District Council.

The Secretary of State will consider the proposals and publish a final plan for consultation in June, before making her final, binding decision.

Let's work together to oppose over development

I'm very pleased that all of our candidates and councillors standing in Mid Dorset for the local elections on May 1st have signed up to a statement confirming we'll work with anyone and everyone to oppose the Regional Spatial Strategy proposals.

Here's the text of the statement:

The Government’s plans for development in Purbeck propose enormous and unsustainable development in Purbeck District. Concern at the proposals crosses political lines.

Purbeck District Council has passed a resolution deploring and condemning the recommendations, which propose the construction of 2,750 houses on the Green Belt between Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers and a further 2,400 throughout Purbeck over the next 20 years.

There has been no proper process underlying these plans. They ignore the wishes of local people. They make no provision for the infrastructure to support the proposed developments. Our local roads are already gridlocked with traffic, our local medical facilities are overstretched and our schools often over-subscribed. It’s imperative we work together to oppose the development.

Both Purbeck District Council and our local MPs have expressed their opposition to these schemes and have confirmed their preference that local people, through their local councils, should decide on the amount and location of development. We agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments and support our local representatives in these aspirations.

Now is not the time to use the issue as a political football. Local, non political, Action Groups are being set up to oppose the recommendations and make sure that Government hears the concerns of local people. We will support these groups, our local Councils and our local MPs in their opposition to the plans and will do all we can to further this cause.

Now is the time to put politics aside over this issue. Now is the time to act. Let’s work together to oppose these developments.

Bournemouth Mobile Phone Mast refused on appeal

I've just posted this on my Bournemouth Councillor's blog:

I have received the result of the Inspector’s report about the O2 mast at the back of the houses in Southwick Road.

I’m absolutely delighted to report that it has been turned down and the Inspector has basically told O2 to go and look again at a site on Iford Meadows.

I really thought we might lose this one and can’t tell you how pleased I am that it’s been turned down.

What's remarkable about the decision is that the Inspector based it upon quality of life issues. Our campaign majored on planning grounds, but also highlighted that the stress of having a mast in this location and it not being clear whether there was or was not a health risk effected the local residents quality of life and therefore breached their human rights.

I hope that we might be able to bring the same arguments in to play to help the residents fighting the mast at The Clump in Broadstone and elsewhere in Mid Dorset and North Poole.

No casino for Bournemouth

So, the Super Casino is going to Manchester and the South Western casinos are going to be situated in Southampton, Bath and Torbay.

Am I disappointed? Truthfully, No.

As a Bournemouth Councillor, I voted for the application for the casino to proceed largely because I was persuaded of the tourism and employment benefits of the wider development which may accompany it. I remained opposed to it being situated on the corner of Bath Road and Westover Road and being linked to the Pavilion and the news that it won't be going ahead is no real blow.

It would certainly have been a draw, but the social consequences for the area could have been severe and the scheme did not have public approval, despite some councillors and officials trying to spin the opinion soundings differently.

Development in Back Gardens

Development in the back gardens of houses is an issue across the two boroughs of Bournemouth and Poole. 'Back filling' as it's known is being encouraged by the Government through their classifying back gardens as brown field sites, thereby making it much more difficult for Councils to reject planning applications on them.

Bournemouth's Conservatives have been fighting this form of development for some time. The Council is currently run by the Liberal Democrats and, reacting to public concern back in July the Council passed this motion:




AT A MEETING OF THE BOROUGH OF BOURNEMOUTH COUNCIL, 25 JULY 2006

c. Residential Development in Bournemouth

Councillor Garratt moved and Councillor Brandwood seconded:

‘That the Council recognises the deep concerns of many residents about the impact on the character of residential areas that redevelopment of house sites as flats may have. The Council further recognises the concerns arising from the loss of back gardens to housing development.

The Council also recognises the similarly deep concerns of many residents that the high cost of housing to buy and rent locally could mean that as their children grow up they will have to move away from Bournemouth in order to afford somewhere to live.

In order to address issues of the loss of character the Council resolves, as part of the preparation of its Local Development Framework, to consider the development of Character Assessment policies.

In order to address the issue of the loss of back gardens the Council resolves to:

1. support calls for garden land to be reclassified as green field land;
2. welcome the commitment of Bournemouth’s MPs towards securing this;
3. express its support for the specific provision within the Local Government and Planning (Parkland and Windfall Development) Bill sponsored by Lorely Burt MP, which would require the Secretary of State to issue guidance to local planning authorities to the effect that ‘the gardens of private houses should be regarded for development control purposes as green field sites.’

In order to address the need, in particular, of local people growing up in Bournemouth to be able to afford a place to live, the Council resolves to confirm that affordable housing both to buy and rent is one of its top priorities.’

The motion was carried, 34 in favour, 6 against, 3 abstentions.





Simply enough, no?





Then why is there an advert in the latest edition of the Council's magazine, delivered monthly to all residents, for a company offering to buy up back gardens in order to develop them?





Why has the Council not vetoed advertisers who specifically advertise services to which we are opposed?





My own business advertises in BH Life, we have been told that there are waiting lists for advertisers in the magazine throughout the Spring as only a certain number of adverts are accepted. The excuse that accepting adverts keeps the cost down and they have to take adverts from whichever source they can therefore doesn't pass muster.





We should be practicing what we preach and ensuring that adverts of this type are not allowed in Council publications.

Competition Commissioners and supermarket chains

The Competition Commission are carrying out a report in to UK Supermarkets. The initial report is about to be published, a full report is due out next year. The BBC have the full story here.

Publicity is concentrating on the supermarkets holding on to 'land banks'; land they have bought for possible development but that they have not begun building on as yet.

For me a much more important issue is the effect that supermarkets are having on local retail markets. The Commission is looking in to how large supermarkets can effect the economy of their surrounding area, with particular reference to grocery shopping and local shops and shopping centres.

I welcome their investigation, I've blogged before about my concern over the power of out of town stores to neutralise smaller businesses in their surrounding area and local town centres, thereby forming a monopoly.

Support for small town, suburban and village businesses is going to be vital if we are to truly retain and create sustainable and vibrant local communities.

The greatest form of flattery....

I've spent today updating a lot of the links for this and its sister web site.

I'm amazed at the number of Conservative blogs that have developed in Bournemouth, Poole and the surrounding area since I started my Littledown and Iford blog just a few months ago.

Check out the local Conservative links on the right. They include blogs that cover the Bournemouth wards of Moordown, Queen's Park, Redhill & Northbourne, Wallisdown and Winton West, Westbourne & Westcliff and Winton East.

Richard Booth, one of the Conservative candidates for Wimborne also has a blog, upon which he is running a poll on the desireability of allowing Waitrose to build on Wimborne Cricket Club's ground at Hanham Field. I urge you to take a look at his blog and let your voice be heard in his vote.

Finally I should mention Will Burstow's excellent blog, A Young Conservative. Will is from Ulster, hence the posts about the province and its politics. Will lives in Alderney, which is currently part of Mid Dorset and North Poole but transfers in the boundary changes to Bournemouth West.

3,000 New Homes Near Upton?

I've met with the local Conservative Team who are campaigning to ensure the views of Upton and Lytchett Minster residents are taken in to account before any plans for further residential developments there are approved.

Cllr Paul Johns showed me the current green belt land near Upton, which could soon be used to make way for up to 3,000 new homes over the next 20 years.

I appreciate that more homes are needed for local families, but it is vital that any possible development is examined very sensitively. There must be the infrastructure in place to support these developments. I realise that ultimately the Government and their Inspectors will decide whether this development goes ahead, but the local team and I are keen to know the views of all local residents so that we can best represent you.

A leaflet will be distributed in the area in the next few days requesting the views of the residents of Lytchett Minster and Upton, I hope everyone will take the opportunity of making their voice heard by returning the response form in it to the local team.