LETTER: Group obsessed with building

Looking through Horsham District Council’s (HDC) planning website listing the responses to the council’s consultation to the Gang of Four’s mass housing plan - Cllrs Ray Dawe, Helena Croft, Claire Vickers and Jim Rae – in North Horsham, I was interested to read the response from Adur and Worthing Councils (Ref. ‘Pro Sub No 2886’).
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Jul 2014, 07:00 BST
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I must confess that I was surprised to find this council had been allowed 833 words for a policy when the rest of the public – us mere mortals that pay council tax - were all restricted to just 200 words.

Why would HDC allow 833 words for a response from a neighbouring council in favour of the plan when it limits so ruthlessly submissions from individuals to less than 200 words and for those using the HDC’s pro-forma or letters – only 100 words.

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I was even more surprised that the date and time on the entry from Adur and Worthing Council was after the 4pm deadline inflicted on residents on the 27 June.

Adur and Worthing Council: ‘support’ the Horsham District’s Local Plan. The whole submission can be read on the HDC website (http://horsham.limehouse.co.uk/common/search/advanced_search.jsp?id=0&eventId=22692&page=0&pageSize=20&sortMode=response_date&lookingFor=representations&tab=find&searchQuery=adur&x=-489&y=-445) but I thought your readers might be interested to read the following:

‘Our Councils were involved in the Duty to Co-operate workshops arranged by the Planning Advisory Service in Horsham recently and officers have also met informally to discuss a number of strategic issues which cross our boundaries, in particular housing needs and provision. As you are aware, Horsham District Council wrote to our authorities in April of this year with an invitation to provide information as to how Horsham District could assist Adur and Worthing Councils in meeting our strategic needs. Our response letter of 28 April 2014 (attached – but not on the HDC site) to Horsham Council outlined the objectively assessed housing needs of Adur and Worthing and the shortfalls in provision to meet these needs because of a number of constraints including landscape and flood risk… the draft Adur Local Plan cannot meet all of these needs…

‘Given the above, it is therefore reassuring that the Horsham District Planning Framework in paragraphs 6.3 and 6.5 provides for a level of housing to allow for increases in Horsham’s population, to support economic growth and also to support the wider economy of Gatwick Diamond and beyond – delivering 13,000 homes over the next 20 years…

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‘The principle of Horsham accommodating wider strategic housing needs (linked to employment and economic growth) in the context of the duty to co-operate is welcome. Adur and Worthing Councils look forward to ongoing co-operation with Horsham and other authorities within West Sussex and elsewhere to address this and other strategic planning issues now and in the future.’

So there we are! Our brilliant councillors Dawe, Croft, Vickers and Rae took the initiative to write to Worthing and Adur Council offering to help that council meet its housing needs.

The Gang of Four are just obsessed with building for building sake to the extent they have sought out other local authorities to take housing form them.

Why don’t Adur and Worthing build within their own boundary rather than dumping them up in North Hrosham?

We know about the legal duty to co-operate but it all seems one way – not in Horsham’s favour.

DAVID SHIPTON

Downsview Road, Horsham

Related topics:HDCNorth HorshamHorsham District Council