Last week there was a District Council meeting dealing with the council’s future planning policies. It turned into a bit of a fiasco and ended after only 44 minutes.
The ruling Conservative Group and the council officers seem to be in serious disagreement on several issues. So decisions have been delayed until the next meeting in December.
One of the key issues is the amount of parking spaces we should have for new homes. The government are telling us that we can no longer insist on a minimum number of parking spaces on new housing developments (for example, two spaces per house). The council officers say we should be realistic on this and do what the government says. The Conservative councillors seem to think we should try to carry on with this policy even if we are likely to be overruled by a government inspector.
This is an subject that Ron has been very concerned about over the past couple of years and December’s meeting could be quite a tense affair…
This is something I have campaigned on throughout the consultation process on the new local plan.
Why should we be prepared to lie down and be forced to accept government diktat designed to force people to use public transport (what public transport you might ask) or walk or cycle!
Whether they use them or not, in this day and age people own cars just like they own washing machines or TV sets and they need somewhere to keep them.
If we accept these unrealistic rules we will end up with our streets filled with parked cars, just like some parts of Westcliff’
This is one occasion when I find myself in agreement with the Tories!!
I also support the Tories in trying to oppose this inappropriate ruling and would hope that all parties can work together in trying to find a sustainable solution, that will not simply be overruled at appeal.
I wonder what propertyn developers think about this rule, which will lower house prices? Who wants to live in areas, particularly rural locations, with no/inadequate car parking?
Brian Guyett
Chairman. Hockley Residents Association