After officers announced the landmark ruling at a recent Planning Committee – Waverley councillors were told that two Farnham planning applications scheduled to have been considered on Wednesday had been ‘withdrawn’ until the full implications of the court’s ruling had been considered.
So.. with its Local Plan challenged by three separate parties -The Campaign for The Preservation of Rural England (CPRE); Protect Our Waverley, – and Mr and Mrs Tim House of Milford. And – another challenge lodged with the High Court last week by POW against the Dunsfold Park planning decision – could ‘Your Waverley’ be sinking under the weight of legal challenges – with yet more to come?
Q. To ‘Your Waverley?’
- Will it provide assurances to the public that it will comply with the European Court of Justice Ruling C-323/17?
- If not -why not?
- Why has it been ignoring the law for more than 11 years, on the advice of its lawyers?
- Does it intend to continue ignoring the law?
- Does it admit that the ruling effectively imposes a moratorium on ALL housebuilding in Farnham?
- What LAWFUL options are available to Waverley Borough Council?
- If there are options – when will these options be made public.
In his letter to the WBC Chief Executive Tom Horwood, forwarded to us by another, members, who is equally concerned, Councillor Jerry Hyman (Farnham Residents’) said:
There is considerable pressure upon me to ensure probity in this matter, as the Chairman of Environment O&S, as a Member of the Audit Committee and as the administrative Central Party Leader of Farnham Residents. I must assume that you agree that another eleven years of the lawbreaking, obfuscation and bullying that we have suffered as residents cannot be an option.
Once again, I have to again ask that you provide your personal assurance that our Officers and the Council Leadership have undertaken to comply with the ECJ Ruling, such that no consents for TBHSPA-affected development will be granted until we have a compliant Policy in place, and so that we can meet meaningfully to plan Waverley’s best solution.
If I do not receive that assurance from you by 5pm today then I can only assume that continued evasion of the law is intended, such that expansion of external investigations will need to be pursued by bringing charges of Misconduct in Public Office, and potentially of Obtaining Planning Consent by Deception, against all persons complicit in the ongoing lawbreaking.
You are no doubt aware that unfortunately David Munro, the current Elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, was previously a part of the Conservative Leadership at Waverley. Whilst I have the utmost faith in the integrity of the Inspector conducting the investigation into Air Quality (AQ )data misreporting, the vital matter of public perception will no doubt require that an independently-controlled Police Force is brought in to conduct the widened investigation.
I trust that you do not wish to burden the Police by forcing a costly and time-consuming investigation which by rights should be entirely unnecessary.I look forward to your response.
Cllr Jerry Hyman
Chairman, Waverley Environment O&S Committee
What was the CEO’s response?
So we watch and we wait and if we, the public, don’t get answers to our questions, we will all ring Tom Horwood on his internal number and ask him – 