A while ago the District Council refused permission to convert the upper part of the Rayleigh Lanes building into flats and roof gardens (the bottom part would stay as retail).
Most councillors (Conservatives and Lib Dems) voted for refusal because:
However a government inspector has allowed this on appeal. What’s more, she has decided that the district council should pay the legal costs to the developer in connection with reasons 1) and 3), because she felt that these reasons were basically very weak.
End result – the flat owners will probably park in the Websters Way car park, reducing the space for shoppers, and a lot of young people will lose a useful, safe, non-trouble-making amenity – the snooker club. Ho-hum.
Yet another example where the government think they know what’s best at a local level. It’s high time, the government focused on running the country, and leave local issues to local government, who (you would hope) actually have a clue on what is best for their residents.
So what recreation facilities are now left for the young people of Rayleigh? What is the council going to do to make up for the short fall in recreations facilities? My guess is nothing! Which then makes me ask the question – why will people want to move to a town that has limited shopping, limited recreation and grid-locked roads
You’re absolutely right. What is the point of having local councillors if central govt officials can overrule them? I’m just back from France where there seems to be much more local decision making – people seem to be much more involved in their local communities, partly because what they decide is what actually happens. (This delegation of decision making to a local level has always been a major principle in Liberal thinking.)