Ever since Chief Planning Honcho Betty Boot slipped off on a very welcome holiday? Or has she gone AWOL – chaos has reigned over Waverley Towers. The Borough’s Council Chamber has looked more like the trenches every day as Councillors from across the borough hunker down to take a shot at officers’ recommendations to approve developments – or change planning conditions.
Even the Chairmen – David Else – and we know our followers won’t believe it – but now even Peter Isherwood has started to say …
N..O… SPELLS NO!
- WW wonders? Is it the forthcoming Waverley Borough Council elections that are sending a chill wind from the East up their ever flaring angry nostrils?
- Is it that smart, new boy on the block from Godalming – who is appearing all over the borough in a bid to uncover local opinion before he quaffs his hat at the planning officers and does their bidding, or doesn’t as the case may be?
- Or is it the threat that has hung over Farnham since the Surrey County Council elections – since the Farnham Residents bagged seat?
- Or, could it possibly be – that they are starting to smell the concrete and the exhaust fumes in their own backyards?
Thank God, the planners can rely on Good old Groucho Goodridge to approve anything, anywhere, anytime – as long as it isn’t on his Wonersh patch, doesn’t move and is ready to attract concrete!
Come back Betsy, your planning committees are getting above themselves. They are starting to represent the people of Waverley, the voting fodder who elected them rather than hanging onto the coat-tails of Government planning policy, meeting your housing targets whilst fearing your ever-present boot up their backsides!
IS IT TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK LADY.
In a somewhat flippant moment, after the surprise of one of the recent JPC’s I said to a group of councillors something like ‘what an earth has happened, have you all suddenly grown a spine or has someone circled May 2nd in your diaries?’’
I won’t mention name but I got such a glare and was told in no uncertain terms that the JPC has always defended against bad development and stood up for residents…
I genuinely feel like I have watched this change occur before my eyes over the course of a few weeks – I’ve gone from basically losing every vote (often will Cllrs Hyman and Townsend) to now the reverse. To the point of even motions I propose have a half decent chance!
Whilst I genuinely hope that a little bit of opposition from me (and Jerry) might have woken them up a bit (actually bringing some actual opposition to that 1 party talking shop was one of my own manifesto pledges) – never forget the siren song of the election calling…
Anyone who thinks that this Volte face has anything to do with defending bad development, and standing up for residents has just arrived from Planet Zonk. The Joint Planning committee has waved through so many bad developments – on flood plains – in Godalming; Cranleigh and Farnham – then they have been standing up for the wrong residents. Developments leading from narrow country lanes, on land which floods, where wildlife and ancient woodland has been damaged irrevocably.
Time will reveal all these terrible mistakes and, sadly it will be future generations who will ask – who ever allowed these homes made out of ticky tacky, too small to swing a bat, which cannot obtain flood insurance cover, and have destroyed the character of our market towns like ours here in Farnham, gridlocked Godalming and ruined a lovely rural village like Cranleigh?
Some councillors who huddled together in secret meetings with Waverley planning officers’ long since gone, will never see the damage they have caused.
This is all about the council elections that are just over the horizon. It’s called panic mode – but fear not, many of the old brigade are preparing to jump ship anyway.