When “Your Waverley’s Local Plan gets its public airing the Inspector in the hot seat will be – Jonathan Bore.
But don’t be put off by his name because when the event, soon to be staged at Waverley Towers, it will be anything but “boring” and seems certain to be played out before packed houses.
Planning Chief Liz the Biz told councillors recently she didn’t know whether there would be an Exploratory Meeting before the the main show gets on the road.
But we know here at the WW that Developers are revving up to have their say and the message will be going out loud and clear from them to say – let the flood gates open because the water’s warm so let us jump in?
Councillor Carole Cochburn said Developers had already “thrown masses of money” at the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan- because they didn’t appreciate the fact that the sites residents had identified were not the theirs.
One councillor asked with baited breath if they would get the same Inspector for the examination of the Local Plan they had last time!
Government Inspector Heatherington, unceremoniously threw the 2006 Plan into the very long grass where it was subsequently mowed . He warned “Your Waverley” in no uncertain terms, it should produce a realistic plan that would actually go some way to meeting the borough’s future housing needs. Then leaving poor Strategic Development Officer Graham “Sick as a Parrot” almost bleeding from the Inspector’s cutting remarks the present Local Plan was produced .
So- no – he’s not coming back, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief that the Inspector who recently judged the Hewitts Industrial Estate Plan in Cranleigh isn’t taking the reins either!
A very worried looking Andy McLeod (Independent Farnham)said “what if” the Inspector came to the same conclusion as the Inspector for Hewitts’ and a different conclusion on the council’s latest effort? Particularly, as Farnham had the protection of SANGS – and benefitted from a publicly examined Neighbourhood Plan?
Councillors agreed the whole of Waverley was under attack from Developers’ Barristers but its own were every bit their equal! `
However, Councillor Carole was not quite so sure ! She said at the numerous appeals she had attended, and at the public Examination of Farnham’s plan, – “we are often outgunned.”
Please make sure the date of the Daft Local Plan examination is posted because I am sure “Your Waverley” will try and bury it in the small print to avoid unpleasant demo’s.
We will most certainly ensure that the date is widely known because the officers will tell us – not everyone is in the bad boy camp at “Your Waverley.”