Support for one at expense of other

ROBERT Sale (Gazette letters, December 30) suggests that development proposals for Courtwick appear to be a fait accompli – could he be right?

As we already know, Arun District Council decided to oppose the recent Eco-Town proposals for Ford Airfield (option 2 in the council’s Local Development Framework, or LDF) by launching a “council-led community campaign”.

In leading a campaign against one of their own LDF options, Arun councillors would have been fully aware of the potential consequences for residents in alternative locations like Courtwick (LDF option 1).

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What may not be so widely known is that seven Campaign Against Ford Eco-Town (CAFE) meetings were scheduled in the Arun council chamber or committee room 2, and that in an e-mail on August 22, 2008, from Derek Waller of CAFE to Ian Sumnall, Arun chief executive (and acting head of planning at the time), Mr Waller states: “Dear Ian, Many thanks for, once again, hosting the CAFE meeting this morning.” The e-mail went on to thank the chief executive for the blind copied e-mails from one of his officers!

If Mr Sunmall hosted some or all of CAFE’s meetings, aren’t residents in other locations, like Courtwick, likely to perceive his participation as Arun favouring one section of the community at the expense of others?

Is it any wonder some residents are now questioning whether some of the development proposals now coming forward are a fait accompli?

Tony Dixon

Barons Close

Westergate

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