Council support for Eco-Town protest was unfair

Why not?

The Ford Enterprise Hub complaint against Arun is not about the Eco-Town proposals for Ford Airfield – it is about the conduct of the council in considering those proposals and its treatment of residents, not just around Ford, but on a district-wide basis.

Is it fair or lawful for a council to launch and lead a campaign against proposals for development on a site under active consideration in the preparation of its Local Development Framework (LDF)? (The press release of April 3, 2008, is on the Arun web site for all to see). Does leading a campaign against such proposals constitute clear evidence of a closed mind?

Having launched and led the campaign against the Eco-Town proposals and then held a select committee inquiry into those proposals, did the council act as both objector to and judge of the proposals – contrary to the law of natural justice?

By its actions, has the council denied local residents an open-minded approach to major issues affecting the lives of present and future generations?

Did the council's promotion of a campaign against one in a number of alternative strategies for sustainable growth prejudice objective consideration of all LDF options and their presentation to residents?

Did the council's campaign unfairly disadvantage residents in other locations also under consideration by the council through the LDF, for instance, Bersted, Barnham, Eastergate and Westergate, Angmering and Lyminster/Toddington?

Should residents across the district be expected to participate in an LDF where the planning authority has so clearly indicated its desired outcome and shown prejudice towards consideration of alternative proposals?

Given evidence already in the public domain, should local residents have to wait for an examination in public before they can make the case for an open-minded LDF?

Why shouldn't these questions, and more, be the subject of independent scrutiny?

We have always endeavoured to act with complete transparency and so, in keeping with this intention, we have published the relevant correspondence between ourselves and the council on our web site at www.fordenterprisehub.com/latestnews.htm

Local residents can judge for themselves whether their council has treated them fairly or not.

Tony Dixon and Harold Hall

Ford Enterprise Hub

Barons Close

Westergate

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