Who’s running plan?

THIS paragraph is from the second version of Arun District Council’s draft local plan, published on July 9: “With the 3,838 units that would be required with the preferred housing target of 565 units per annum, it would be possible to adequately accommodate both broad strategic areas of growth in addition to the town and parish allocations.”

This is a significant paragraph, because it is the first time that the council has declared a preferred housing target of 565 units per annum.

The paragraph was not published in the first version of the draft local plan (as published on June 6) and there is no mention of it in the minutes of Arun’s full council meeting of June 20, where the amendments to the first draft were agreed. It appears that this paragraph has been inserted after the full council meeting of June 20.

If such an important paragraph has not been approved by full council, then neither has the consultation document itself.

Arun’s councillors appear to have lost control. If the councillors aren’t running the local plan then who is?

Tony Dixon

Barons Close

Westergate