Despite the odds being stacked in favour of a hill-top pile used as an office building in Haslemere making way for 27 new homes – councillors shunned Betty’s boot – and refused the controversial scheme on the edge of the town.
Wow! Shucks! Did the heat go to the heads of members of Waverley’s Joint Planning Committee last week when they voted by 14 to ? against converting offices at Longdene Hose and build in its grounds in Hedgehog Lane? Chairpeople at ‘YW’ never actually announce what the vote is!!
Waverley officers saw no reason to refuse consent for a development in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Great Landscape Value. The site is beyond the town settlement and very close to Sturt Farm, Haslemere nearby and where 135 dwellings have been approved.
However, councillors did! In response to councillor Steven Mulliner’s claims that with a 5-year land supply under its belt there was no requirement for development in areas of constraint in Waverley.
PO Louise Yandell warned councillors that Haslemere’s housing allocation of 990 new homes during the life of the Local Plan was a “minimum and not a maximum figure.”
The usual Martini advocates of development – “Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, except in their own wards, gave good reasons why the scheme should be approved! They said they were fearful an appeal on a previous scheme to be heard in October would be approved.
The Tory cabal of Waverley Council’s yes men/women who will hopefully be hanging up their councillor (PSBD) identity tags soon – Band; Goodridge; Carole Cockburn ; Anna James and not forgetting former chairman Peter Isherwood whose hand is never down and has been shunted out of the Chairman’s seat followed by his vice-chairman CC – and we don’t mean Coco Chanel’s – after their distasteful remarks about the Eastern villages! He has been shunted to the right and she (CC) has been shunted off the bench altogether! Teach them to turn off their mics before they insult their residents?
For once even Farnham Residents’ Councillor Jerry Hyman’s argument about the lack of Appropriate Assessment under the Special Protection Area (SPA’s) issues found favour with some. Cranleigh’s Liz Townsend challenged officers’ claims that if the development went ahead there WAS “sufficient mitigation?” But the officers and their legal chums stubbornly refuse to accept challenges that they might not be obeying an environmental law by carrying out appropriate assessment and are ducking under the comfort blanket provided by Natural England. You can read the Sweetman ruling by clicking on the link below.
Some claim that “Your Waverley’ and Natural England’S APPROACH HAS FOR MANY YEARS IGNORED ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.
Has a ruling by the European Court of Justice sent an Exocet missile into Waverley Towers?
The answer, of course, is NO! Because Waverley Borough Council has decided it doesn’t have to obey The European Court of Justice ruling – well that is until someone challenges them of course? Is that the sound of another Judicial Review we hear?
Funny – that nobody mentioned the loss of office accommodation – wonder why – when according to Waverley Council’s data it is becoming increasingly concerned having lost an amazing:
Well at least Haslemere has Cllr Mulliner to fight their corner (ex-barrister, I believe) so well done them – I think the PO’s thought this would be a walk over with it going back to appeal in October. It was very generous of the Developers to say they would drop the Appeal if this was approved ……..it has the slight smell of corruption about it
The fact that the Officers didn’t know how many employees are at Longdene House is a bit telling… How can they tell if there would or wouldn’t be an impact on the Traffic on that small road if they don’t know how many people work there currently? 27 new homes (near a town so not as bad as here) but say 35 cars in and out per day (min 70 Extra traffic movements) .. Just a question are their 35 people working in the offices – it isn’t Rocket science is it? Also where are those people going to work now?
Finally before I leave – Why do the Councillors only get the Inspectors Appeal Report the evening of the Meeting – when apart from Cllr CC no-one seems to have had much time to read it.
I wont even go on about her “We are between a Rock and a Hard place” comment…Honestly get some Gumption and stand up to this… Councillors are not voted for to sit on the fence because it could be a bit tricky – Thankfully Cllrs Hyman, Follows and Townsend do say their bit.
I am glad that the JPC Chair was moved sideways and Vice Chair was put back on the Benches – not a minute too soon. I can now file my paperwork – Thanks Mr Taylor!
You bought the Rubbish Weather back with you – hence why I am in front of the Computer on a Sunday
Hi everyone,
Must admit if we get lengthy papers on the actual day of the meeting – it is a little more difficult. Certainly it’s the only reason I won’t have read the papers.
I personally think the JPC’s councillors do need to stand up more for what they actually think – or there really isn’t a huge amount of point meeting at all (if all we are doing is to rubber-stamp what we are told).
We have another interesting JPC tomorrow evening and I hope some of the councillors who are starting to actually speak their mind and maybe (just maybe) vote with it too (even if that means voting with me and Jerry). We have some really complicated ones coming up, not least the one for 262 houses in my own ward eventually.
Paul
Perhaps tomorrow someone will ask the officer who gave you inaccurate information that there we no dormer windows on the Hewitts development will explain himself? Or perhaps not – as he has been sacked!
It is so refreshing that there are people like you out there that actually watch the antics at WBC meetings. You always hit the nail on the head – and can identify the dishonesty, duplicity and double-dealing that goes on at planning committees.
Obviously, the planning officers didn’t think it important for councillors to have information before them? After all, they are not there to acquaint themselves of the background to an Inspectors’ decision – are they? And why would they need to know how many employees work in the country pile occupied by the developers?
Don’t you think that both Isherwood and CC should have been put on the benches?
Sorry about the rubbish weather we brought back with us – but the gardens do need rain- never seen them so parched!
Three cheers for Hyman – Farnham Residents, Townsend and Follows – but do their questions ever get answers? Did they get the answers they wanted on the Hewitts’ development in Cranleigh? NO!!
I wish they had both been given the heave-ho – But that is of course wishful thinking! – But one out of two aint bad!
As for Hewitts that returns to the JPC on Monday (I think) and Yes the answer is there ARE Dormer windows – so no doubt the JPC will be told nothing else has changed so get they must accept “We are where we are” It will probably be the shortest JPC meeting in history.
There is a teeny- tiny part of me that feels for some of the young PO’s they don’t seem to have a clue most of the time what they are talking about and they certainly cannot seem to go beyond their desk-based analysis of any development – but that is what the culture is and unsurprising their attrition rate is so high. All Hail Liz-the-Biz!
We live in Hope!
From your comments Denise I take it you were successful in your complaint to Taylor about Isherwood and Cockburn. Congratulations. This must be a 1st. When we made a complaint about -Shh, the fraud – and all the Councillors that kept schtum we didn’t get past the 1st post initially but after 2years it was just swept under the carpet with the other detritus., nobody did anything wrong, honest guv. As for the liars in the planning department and Liz the Biz , words fail me. I am impressed that some Councillors of the blue variety are now speaking out about disastrous planning applications but is that because there are elections next May? or am I being too cynical?
My view of this is that some probably are sensible, and at the moment especially Cllr’s Mulliner and Townsend seem to be especially. I personally think that the sensible ones that must be buried in there are starting to feel more vocal because the various political colours of opposition are talking and (I hope) starting to get through to some of them. As well as demonstrating it’s ok not to toe the line, to have a different point of view and maybe, just maybe – to vote that way too!
Of course..you may be right and it might just be 9months until elections….
Hi Rosaleen
I doubt my complaints had anything to do with it as they were Quashed by the “Independent Person” – Hello who or what is that???
But there is a little part of me that feels – Just maybe posting the MP3 link as well as transcripts that I took from the meetings helped a tiny bit. Having said that I wasted 3+ Months on this so was it worth it???
Watching the JPCs now – I would say YES it WAS!
Hoping I don’t need to seek Planning in the near future!!!
The three months you spent on this wasn’t wasted, every complaint must be investigated. ‘YW” ticked the box marked “investigated” waited a decent amount of time and then shunted Isherwood sideways and CC off the bench altogether.
No, you are not being cynical they are getting worried, very worried. And as for Isherwood and Cockburn – it was the Waverley Web that clipped the webcast and showed the world what they think of some if not all of their residents. They are arrogant and should have made a public apology to the people of Cranleigh & Ewhurst, but they didn’t because ‘Your Waverley’ doesn’t admit to its mistakes – including – “Don’t mention The Fraud.’
WW I know you did and I was hugely grateful for the Clip – But they took it off the Web and it was only thanks to another Local – who had saved it I was able to Send it to Mr T.
As I said – Doubt I made a difference – But as you said it was logged and that is the best we Plebs can hope for.
One day when transparency becomes the Norm. I hope that this will become something that gives everyone a voice – Instead of the situation we are currently in.
The views of the people should be part of the NPPF and it does say it should, but it seems to be ignored time after time. Local Opinion is most often NOT considered a MATERIAL CONCIDERATION and given little weight with the Planners – So, until it is – You at WW and me in the Boondocks will continue to bang our heads against a brick wall.
Interesting on the News tonight – when they talk about True Social Housing – In NON PC TERMS it used to be called Council Houses – Why not stop this ridiculous “Affordable Housing” with Developers which is not in the Least Affordable ( at 80% Market Value ) and instead – Ask the developers for a NEW Social Housing Contribution (SHC) – so that money is RING FENCED and is given to the Council to Build NEW Social Housing (AND NOTHING ELSE)
They can then build to an ACCEPTABLE standard (that isn’t smaller than Market housing) that doesn’t have to go through Planning but MUST meet certain Standards that are considered to be acceptable and RIGHT.
SCC and WBC have enough land in their Portfolios to make this work. Buy Brownfield Land and land within the Settlements so these are not Ghettos in the middle of no-where and Build decent housing for people that need it that have access to facilities including decent Infrastructure to be able to work and Live as we would all like to.
Alas I know – I am living in Cloud Cuckoo-Land – and this is an Ideal that I don’t see anyone adopting – But I am ever the Optimist
D
PS apologies for the previous typos I HATE Their and There being Muddled – Over excited as ever.
This Is An Outrage