SOUTH EAST PLAN COMMENTS

POST-ELECTION UPDATE 2010

Following the election of our new Coalition Government, the South East Plan has now been abolished - which is good news generally for the Borough.

We do not expect the desire of developers to build houses in Gardens, on Greenfield land or over-development of Brownfield land to lessen any as a result.

WBDRA will remain watchful of Planning Applications as will other residents groups in the Borough.

(BELOW IS NOW ARCHIVE MATERIAL)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Superb "Matt" Cartoon says it all

Our website editor is a great lover of cartoons - probably because he's the only one in a family of artistic people who can't actually draw!

Matt cartoons have graced the front page of the DailyTelegraph for many years and there are several in the Library section on of this site.

Ever a forward thinker with his finger on the pulse, Matt's cartoon re House Building in the South East was bang on. Take a look in our Library - item is titled unsurprisingly "South East Housing - Matt Cartoon" . Three cheers for John Prescott!!

 HM Gov't - 05 Dec 2007

Our MP Anne Milton wrote to HMG in October expressing her concerns about the Plans recommendations for Guildford.

Parmjit Dhanda MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Dept for Communities & Local Government wrote back 6 weeks later. 

It's not a very helpful reply and seems to be at variance with what others (WBDRA included) think the S E Plan is actually saying & what the Gov't Inspectors have actually said - especially the part about forgetting infrastructure development and getting on with House Building!

MP Dhanda says:

"Government.....intend to published Proposed Changes in the New Year at which stage there will be a further period of consutlation"

"Government made it clear....that it is committed to the timely delivery of infrastructure and services required to support growth within South East England"

"Government remains committed to protect robustly the land designated as Green Belt"

EGRA is the East Guildford Residents Association 

EGRA Press Release  - 11 Sept 2007

Alarm at Plan to Increase Households in Guildford by about a Quarter

 The Inspectors’ report on the Examination in Public of the South East Plan was published in August 2007. “It is very bad news for Guildford” says EGRA Chairman Graham Hibbert.  “If the Inspectors’ plans go unchallenged, Guildford would undergo major expansion without any of the services and investment in facilities needed to support such growth.  We seriously doubt that, as a gap town in the Surrey Hills, Guildford could cope with being expanded into a major regional hub.”  

The Inspectors recommend that the housing provision in the South East be increased and that growth be targeted on the Regional Hubs, particularly Oxford and Guildford.

The housing provision in Guildford will increase by 31%, from 322 to 422 dwellings per year to cope with migration into Guildford, mainly from London. EGRA believes that Guildford will never be able to satisfy the overflow demand from London.

The Plan proposes that;

·         By 2026, the number of households in Guildford Town will increase by about a quarter. 

·         Guildford is identified as one of the town centres to undergo the most significant change.

·         Green Belt land, to the North East of Guildford, will be developed.

These are eye catching headlines, but they are not the biggest threat to Guildford.

The Draft South East Plan Policies CC5 and LF5 state that “development will not proceed until the infrastructure required to serve the development is available or will be provided in time”.

The Inspectors recommend deleting this condition because, in their view, it is not realistic to expect the infrastructure to be provided in a timely manner.

Investment in infrastructure was identified as a key issue in the Draft Plan, because “Underinvestment in the past has had an adverse impact on the economic performance of the region, it has also resulted in an increased environmental impact and reduced quality of life for the citizens of the region”. This is particularly true of Guildford, where development is constrained by the North Downs.

EGRA does not share the inspectors “hope” that infrastructure will be provided. Past performance shows that this does not happen.

Recent events support the view that that there has been a systematic underinvestment in infrastructure.

·         Increasing journey times and congested roads

·         Too much water in 2007

·         Not enough water in 2006

·         Sewage overflow in 2000

EGRA calls for the principle that “development will not proceed” until “the infrastructure required to serve the development is available or will be provided in time” to be re-instated.

Infrastructure includes Health Care, Schools, Utilities, Flood Prevention, Roads and Transport. Guildford is currently vulnerable to inadequate sewage disposal and water storage, leaky pipes, poor drainage and grid-locked roads. Proceeding with the proposed development without a commitment to invest in the infrastructure would be folly.

Research for the Draft Plan showed that this was the view of the majority of the elected councils, unitary authorities, county councils and the people who live in the South East. It would be very undemocratic to ignore the will of the people.

In conclusion, EGRA would support some development to meet Guildford’s needs, but has major doubts as to the town’s capacity to cope with the scale of development proposed by the Panel and insists that all development must be done properly.

An excellent resume of what the Panel proposes for development in Guildford is available on the Guildford Society website (http://guildfordsociety.org.uk) written by Dr John Baylis.

Editors Notes:

1)      EGRA (East Guildford’s Residents’ Associations) is the umbrella organisation for residents’ associations in East Guildford. Members comprise associations in Abbotswood, Burpham, Chantry View, Clandon, Cranley Road Area, Downsedge, Holy Trinity, Merrow, Shalford and Tyting.

2)      EGRA represents residents from over 2500 membership households in Guildford, who are concerned with the development of Guildford as a whole and not just with their own specific areas.

3)      The Chairman is Dr Graham Hibbert (grahamhibbert@msn.com; tel: 01483 535071), the Secretary is Mr Jim Rattray (jim.rattray@lineone.net; tel: 01483 303170)

EGRA

11 September 2007

egra.org.uk