Published Date:
24 April 2009
AN OFFICIAL response to the controversial eco-town proposal near Great Glen has been drafted by Harborough District Council.
The Co-operative Group wants to build a 15,000-home eco-town on land it owns between Great Glen and Stoughton, a plan which was shortlisted by the Government in April last year.
Below is a copy of district council leader Alistair Swatridge's speech from last night (Thursday, April 23) during a special council meeting about the eco-town.
A consultation period into the Co-op plan end on Thursday (April 30).
Cllr Swatridge said at the meeting:
"This one of the most important reports that has come before this Council. It is still my view that this Council wishes to be the Local planning authority for any future potential application. As such, the Council must therefore protect that ability "not to be challenged" by this Government or any other Authority. For this Council to be lawfully able to undertake this task, it must not have predetermined the outcome by having any bias or opinions, for or against, any potential application at this stage.
I personally believe that this is a matter of preserving local democracy and as such should be this Councils primary consideration. To achieve this we have utilised the services of Counsel to obtain advice on our response to CLG allowing us to make firm and accurate observations but without risk of any predetermination.
The response in front of you, clearly states a number of areas where the draft Eco-towns Planning Policy Statement is deficient and incomplete.
As such the Council response highlights these concerns which are in particular:
*The process: not setting out in sufficient detail or clarity how eco-towns should be dealt with in the planning system.
*The location: in which the principles which define how to identify locations suitable for eco-towns are neither clear nor workable.
*Sustainability transport and Infrastructure: with standards incomplete and which many are not stretching enough.
In addition there are concerns that the draft PPS has granted special status to those named sites which will emerge selected within the future eco-Towns programme.
With the draft PPS currently preparing the way for the selected eco-towns to be introduced into the planning system via mini reviews of Regional Spatial Strategies, there are concerns that this represents a potential imposition of an eco-town on the District Council notwithstanding any LDF processes which the Council may be itself undertaking.
With regard the report of the Financial Appraisal, it contains only very high-level information for each site. And although the report indicates that Pennbury could be financially viable, the Council contends that information is still inadequate, in itself, to justify any conclusions as to viability. It therefore follows that it does not give adequate information to allow the Council to make informed comment on the potential financial viability of Pennbury.
I thank the Officers for the work in undertaking this response and move to propose Council accepts the report and response to CLG."
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Last Updated:
24 April 2009 3:58 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Market Harborough
