The Protect our Little Corner of Waverley and Dunsfold Airfield in particular couldn’t have stumbled upon another mistake by ‘YOUR WAVERLEY’ – a BIG MISTAKE…
The Waverley Webbers have trawled through a sheaf of pages containing the Constitution that ‘Your Waverley” lives and breathes by.
And there … hidden in its depths are these rules by which councillors must abide when they cannot attend particular council meetings, and substitutes are appointed in their place.
The POW group is seeking a Judicial Review into the decision made by the council’s Joint Planning Committee to permit 1,800 homes on the airfield on the Surrey/Sussex border.
Separately a 12-day public inquiry is to take place on July 18 before a Government Inspector after it was called in by the Secretary of State after being persuaded to do so by Guildford MP Anne Milton.
‘Your Waverley’ has also included a total of 2,300 homes at Dunsfold Park in its Local Plan which was adopted before the Dunsfold decision was made.
The silly Summer season will become a very serious Summer season, when the Local Plan is examined in public on June 27 the Dunsfold Inquiry takes place on July 18 , and Thakeham Homes application for over 465 homes in Alfold goes before Waverley Planners, and a Government Inspector at Appeal during the same period.
This rule on substitution of members has been taken from the Council’s Constitution.
P.S. We have also trawled through the minutes of meetings for the past two/three years and cannot find any decision made by the Full Council which changes this Substitution protocol. Could this possible mistake affect many hundreds of decisions… surely not?
No doubt – “Your Waverley” will explain?
Are we surprised, Waverley Borough seem unable to do anything legal correctly, they put condions on large development building plans, which are not worth the paper they are written on because they omit one word, the councillor’s are not even aware of the correct rulings on committee substitutes, you would think that the Chairperson’s on these committees would be aware, I have to wonder who they are all working for! Certainly not the people who put them there.
We hope this does not transpire to be a big mistake – because if it is we are all stuffed!
To: Waverley Web
Dear Sirs,
In your posting dated 02-May-17, you explained that POW are taking Waverley Borough Council to a Judicial Review, on the basis that substitutes attended the JPC meeting to hear the 1800 houses planning application for Dunsfold. If the substitutes had not voted, the Joint Planning Committee would have voted against the development.
You may like to know that Cranleigh Civic Society has also been very concerned about the use of substitutes for some time, and we have copies of Waverley videos of JPC meetings showing substitutes voting.
Please see the email below sent to Waverley just last week, concerning a new green field housing estate in Cranleigh. We have not received a reply.
This practice is banned in Waverley’s own constitution. The reason why this practice is suspect is that a last minute substitute may not have had the benefit of studying the detailed report that is sent out two weeks before any planning meeting, and they may not have attended the very important site visit. If a substitute attends to vote on someone else’s behalf, then the person who could not attend will not have had the benefit of listening to the many arguments for and against an application at the JPC meeting.
The Waverley Executive Officers are hastily promoting and approving new housing estates in the Borough to meet Government housing targets, yet they are ignoring some basic principles enshrined in planning practice in the UK. These principles are set up to ensure that infrastructure is sorted out before any substantial housing estates start being built in any area of the UK, and that wildlife and our water bodies are protected.
Yours faithfully,
Cranleigh Civic Society
……………………………………………
From:
Cranleigh Civic Society
Sent: 28 April 2017 10:42
To: ‘chris.french@waverley.gov.uk’
Subject: WA/2016/2207 – KPI/A2 DOMINION
Importance: High
Good morning,
We have carefully read both the July 2016 and February 2017 WBC Constitution documents.
The pages are not numbered but, at around page 61, and under Clause 4 there is Sub-Clause 4.4 Substitution which specifically states that substitutes are not allowed at meetings of “the Executive, Joint Planning Committee or Area Planning Committees”.
As regards the above hearing on 15 March 2017, which had a tied vote of 8 FOR and 8 AGAINST with the Chairman giving the casting vote FOR the application, the Minutes of the meeting confirm that both substitutes voted.
We are concerned that a significant breach of your Constitution may well have occurred which would render the ultimate decision being invalid and therefore both void and unlawful.
In view of the potential importance of this revelation we request your urgent attention to this matter particularly as decisions on other planning applications may also be flawed for the same reason.
Thank you,
Cranleigh Civic Society
“Speaking up for Cranleigh”
Is there any truth that Julia Potts and members of the executive are meeting developers at Godalming Baptist Church one day next week? If so, why there rather than at a council office room? Is this another of the WBC secret meetings?
Another secret meeting – no – not really – it cannot be true – can it? Well it won’t stay a secret for very long. You can rely upon us. WW
Oh! what a tangled web they weave when once they practise to deceive.