Your readers will no doubt have gathered from the District Councils response in your front page story last week that 3 of the Residents for Uttlesford 4 key principles they want to see incorporated in the Local plan; evidence, infrastructure provision and homes for local people and key workers, have in fact always been there.
Readers will also no doubt have wondered what the two representatives of the “second party” at UDC have been doing with their time on the Planning Policy Working Group where the Local Plan is fashioned. Seemingly their policy is to not read the case papers, say nothing at the meetings and then put a case forward in the media that they are disenfranchised.
Perhaps readers may also wonder about the implications of the Council being a majority shareholder in a “development corporation” and exactly what the function of that corporation would be compared to the function of the Council at present.
Firstly, the District Council is the Local planning Authority. It has the power to approve development proposals and all three political parties are represented on the Planning Committee by elected members. John Lodge seems to be repeating his absurd claim that the other parties work in partnership to decide applications. That view has been roundly refuted and denied by statements from the Chair of the Committee and if there was even a suggestion that this might have been the case then the Council’s Legal department would have stepped in.
Policy SP5 as detailed in the Regulation 18 consultation clearly set out the criteria and obligations that developers/promotors have to agree to before a planning application comes forward. Clearly another document not read and understood by Residents for Uttlesford. Is it because he did not understand SP5 that John Lodge, their Leader, did not sign the foreword to Uttlesford Life when the Regulation 18 document was published? Far be it for me to suggest that his party should consider selecting a new leader.
Secondly, the cost of a “development corporation” role for the Council.
Infrastructure provision is key of that there is no doubt and timing is everything. The cost of providing the infrastructure in either of the new communities being proposed will be immense, running to hundreds of millions.
Is John Lodge proposing that UDC make a financial investment as part of that role? If so he had better come forward with a plan to avoid bankrupting the Council. Any loan gathers interest which has to be repaid. Any investment in infrastructure will not repay a sizeable dividend for perhaps 15-20 years when the serviced areas/sectors of the development are sold on to the builders.
So I would caution everyone in Uttlesford against heeding the siren song being played by John Lodge and his unelected puppet masters.
The Council can control the place and the pace of the new developments. The vehicle we use to do that is being considered and the formation of such a vehicle will be done in good time and will be incorporated in the Regulation 19 documents which essentially will be the Local Plan and will be coming out for public consultation in the early part of 2018 before being sent to the Planning Inspectorate.
Cllr Vic Ranger
UDC Cabinet Member: Communities and Partnerships