MERRY XMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

To all my readers - my very best wishes for an enjoyable Christmas and hopes for a peaceful new year.

PAN - WIN SOME, LOSE SOME.......

After the planning approval for the Pan development on Tuesday, the following day I learnt that the IW Council's latest bid for 'kickstart' funding to help progress the actual building works had failed.

This funding would be used to fund infrastructure costs like roads that the previous selected developers, Miller Homes, balked at when it came to the crunch last February. These works were then costed at £11m.

The Government set up 'kickstart funding' of £1 billion back in the spring Budget to assist stalled housing development schemes like Pan during the economic recession. In Round 1 £360m was allocated to successful bidders. The IW Council had bid for Pan, but failed this round.

The latest Round 2 has allocated £550m to further successful bidders. Again the IW Council has failed.

I'm not sure where this leaves the Council's plans now. They were expressing bravado that they could manage without the funding, but that now needs to be lived up to. The responsible Cabinet member is so far not responding to my query.

Most importantly, questions need to be asked why the Council are failing these bidding rounds ?

See http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/hca-announces-shortlist-round-2-kickstart.htm

GAGGED - AS PAN IS PUSHED FORWARD

Went along to the Planning Q&A session tonight on the Pan development planning application - you can't dignify it with the term 'committee' given the total absence of any debate about the merits of the Pan planning application.

I made my short submission for deferment after the Newport Parish Council's similar submission. We then had to endure having practically every point we made entirely ignored, whilst the Planning Officers responded to numerous questions on minor matters and lead the councillors towards what was always an inevitable decision. Much of what was said was inaccurate, misleading or plain wrong - but I was unable to say so in this part of the meeting. I was effectively gagged from the rest of the proceedings.

The proposal to agree the approval was moved by a Newport Tory, who is also a Newport Parish councillor, and was agreed by 11 votes (including 3 of the 4 Newport Tories present) to one (the other Newport Tory present, Roger Dixcey). Very sadly all four non-Tories on the committee, including the two LibDems voted for approval.

And so the development will move to commencement without addressing matters that could easily have been addressed with a little more time.....

SLOW THE PAN PLANNING RUSH

The following is a press release I issued last week that got good coverage across the Island's media:

"Local IW Councillor for Newport East, Geoff Lumley, is slamming the breakneck speed with which the Pan development planning application is to go to Planning Committee for approval. The planning application by the IW Council to its own Planning Committee will be heard on 15 December, just 3 months after submission. Major applications by private developers usually take far longer, as many planning agents will no doubt note. Cllr Lumley claims that the rush is forcing both him as the local Member and Newport Parish Council to oppose the application due to the absence of meaningful consultation.

Cllr Lumley said, "This application was drawn up by the IW Council in consultation with a small number of local residents. I was deliberately kept out of that process. Once the application was submitted in mid-September I received a large number of calls and comments from other local residents about aspects of the application that they were unhappy about and that they wished me to pursue. These concerns were also picked up by Newport Parish Council who made an extensive objection to the details of the application with my full support and involvement in mid-October. When neither I nor the Parish Council had heard anything further, I asked the Council last month if they would be responding to any of those concerns - and was told no. Additionally at no point have the Manchester-based planning consultants the Council is using for this application (Urban Vision) ever contacted me about the concerns I passed onto the Council's planning office in early November."

"These concerns specifically relate to the absence of a road link between old and new Pan, hardly conducive to integration; the closer proximity of the development to existing homes than originally indicated; and a number of traffic issues for the entire Newport area."

Cllr Lumley concluded by saying, "This is deeply concerning for me. I understand and entirely support the need for more rented, affordable housing on the Island and want to support this application. However, without some changes that I consider easily addressed, I am compelled to oppose it. The emphasis with this application seems to be get it through committee as fast as possible and sod the concerns of local people and the local councillor. A little less rush and I am sure all concerned would be on board. ""

NO ACCOUNT HELD

I went along to observe the Overview & Scrutiny Committee last Thursday for the first time in a couple years and found it even worse than it was then. Two main concerns out of many:

1. The way an independent opposition councillor, Chris Welsford, was interrogated by the current Tory Committee Chair over the basis of his entirely legitimate concerns about mobile phone masts on Council buildings. Surely it is for the Cabinet decision-maker to be defending their decision? Scrutiny shouldn’t be about being a cheer-leader for the Cabinet….......

Of course we then had the inevitable rejection of the ‘Call In’ as the Tories exerted their majority on the committee by 6 votes to 5 on the Chair's casting vote. Majority-controlled scrutiny is frankly a joke, which is why I resigned as the Chair of this committee back in May 2007 at the time they removed opposition control. Ironically if the previous independent Chair of this committee had still been been in post (see 25.11.09 post) the 'Call In' would have succeeded due to a Tory absence........

2. Perfectly sensible concerns about the narrowness and unresponsiveness of decision-making in this Council – mainly by Cabinet members, rather than Full Council – were expressed by another independent councillor. However, there was no sense from the Committee Chair that this was a real issue for him. Its something I have been banging on about for the last year or so, but without the advocacy skills of Cllr Bacon.

So with little contribution to the Scrutiny function from the Tory majority on this committee, except their votes, I think we can forget any meaningful 'holding to account' of the Cabinet on this Council.

HIDE THEIR HEADS IN SHAME

Back on October 31 2006 I wrote here,

IF NOT WELLOW, THEN WHERE ?

After enduring 13 "I'm all in favour of renewable energy, but......"s last evening, I wonder where exactly the Development Control Committee members would approve of wind turbines ? Otherwise they are just trotting out mealy-mouthed platitudes. Given that just about all other suitable spots are in AONB areas, this was the best bet. Still they will all be dead when future generations have to pay the cost.

Last night we heard the same from 6 Tory councillors (2 of them also guilty in 2006 - Bulwer and Scoccia) about the Cheverton Down application, though thankfully the Liberals (and independents) have now seen sense.

If these six lived another 50 years they would hide there heads in shame. But of course they are unlikely to be here...........which is the whole point.