Furlong Road Action Group

A couple of us, ably led by Mark Jolliffe (now our designated spokesperson) attended a Parish Council planning committee meeting this evening and we thought that it was worth feeding back some of the conclusions that we have drawn:

• Parking: due to the technicalities of planning applications – parking and traffic is not deemed a significant consideration when objecting to proposed applications of this nature. The theory seems to be that the greater the congestion – the more likely that car usage will be reduced. [ Don't challenge the logic - this is just how it is. But that means that objections should not be based solely on traffic as a reason - see below for alternative options ... ]

The areas where there seems to be justifiable objections are the following:

• Density of development (residents per hectare is within all probability within guidelines, but the parish council indicated that it felt that it was excessive.)
• Parish council agreed with our contention that the overall design was poor.
• There were a number of technicalities that could be used as a basis for refusal. These included – lack of a landscaping plan; no transport plan; traffic movement would result in a loss of amenities and the current proposal was not “secure by design”
• There is no comprehensive development plan. This means that the current design could prevent any further development. (while this is not a positive for us – this is another reason to refuse the application)
• There are issues with the drains – everybody knows that they are Victorian and already are a problem.

Key learnings from our perspective:

• The councilors indicated that the parish council can only provide a view as to the suitability of the proposed application as part of the consultation process. Their recommendation is not binding on WDC, but is sought. Resident letter’s and/or emails carry equal weight.
• The volume of resident letters and emails is key and critical to the process of objecting. Everybody must not waste the opportunity to voice your opinion. It is absolutely permissible to submit more than one letter or email if you feel you have additional points to make.
• Bodies at meetings carry weight. We need to ensure that we have maximum turnout of interested parties at future meetings at WDC and/or the Parish Council.

In the short term, please encourage your neighbours to use the short time that we have available to send comments to WDC. More information to follow…..