LETTER: Responses must be made again

The major item on the agenda was the Document (Preferred or Proposed Strategy) to decide where housing and economic development will take place in the District.

The Tory group is only presenting one option for consideration and this entails huge development in north Horsham. There is not a unanimous view in the council and because it is a ‘planning decision’ councillors were bound to vote on an individual not party basis.

Individually they had to be assured that this proposal is based on sound evidence, that consultancies have not been engaged to retro-fit the evidence and that when this goes before an inspector he will be persuaded that it is sound in planning law terms.

After the meeting, if the plan is approved, there will be a six week consultation period when residents will be able to write to the council to express their agreement or rejection based on planning criteria.

Last summer over 1,800 residents wrote to the council. These responses will not go to the Inspector – only the ones written in this second six weeks of consultation. At a later stage there will be a full hearing before an Inspector.

Your readers are very busy people – but this is important and we only get one chance to have our say.

NEIL JONES

Tennyson Close, Horsham