News Bulletin - 20th November 2011
Newspapers
We are pleased to report that our plight made the front page of the Ash & Farnham News & Mail again this week. The newspapers are now contacting us, instead of us contacting them.
Our Website
We hope that you’ve found our website informative, useful and easy to use. We have had some extremely nice comments back via the site, and for those, we thank you. We also note, with interest, that it’s reported in the local paper that the developers will soon take the unprecedented step of launching their own website, “for members of the community to keep up-to-date with their plans and leave their comments”. This is excellent news, as it shows they are now chasing us, and we’ve only just got started with our campaign. They possibly didn’t get enough bad feedback at the Consultation Event!
They obviously need to re-assure the community that concrete is good, the more houses they can build on green fields the better for the environment, the roads will be safer for our children and it really doesn’t matter that you will no longer be able to drive out of your road. Why you should want to live in a village, when there are millions of pounds to be made, is incomprehensible.
News From The Government
It has come to our attention that Communities secretary, Eric Pickles, has for the third time in less than six weeks refused planning permission for a major housing development in part on the grounds that it would undermine local plan-making.
Last month, Mr. Pickles dismissed plans for a proposed 1,300-home development in Cornwall, stating that granting planning permission would "deny the local community the opportunity of determining its preferred choice of housing sites".
The developer had applied for permission to build up to 1,300 homes on land north of St Austell and had appealed Cornwall Council's decision to refuse planning consent.
The decision follows two other recent appeal verdicts in which large housing schemes were refused permission on similar grounds.
Final Request
If you have a local friend or neighbour who hasn’t logged onto our website or given us their e-mail address, please encourage them to do so. This will mean a great deal later in our campaign.