To deal with petitions or similar communications submitted by Members of the public under Council Procedure Rule 8(3).
Minutes:
The Chairman reported that one petition had been received under Council Procedure Rule 8(3).
The Chairman invited Richard Lonsdale to present his petition to Council.
Mr Lonsdale
I would like to present to this Council, this petition requesting the Core Strategy adopted on the 28 April 2014 be revoked for a period ending no sooner than the 21 November 2014.
It’s clear that the majority residents in East Dorset have no idea what the Core Strategy actually means for the future of the District, as such the Council failed in their duty to properly inform residents of the scale and the implications this core strategy will have on every person and business, living and working and studying in East Dorset.
The Core Strategy in its current form will forever change the character and the economy of the whole District. Towns of the District will choke, while through lack of investment and appropriate building the lives of villages and hamlets will be left to fade away as businesses fail and houses become totally unaffordable to all but the wealthiest.
Take this opportunity to correct the terrible and tragic mistake that you made on the 28 April this year, should you not choose to act on this petition I would implore that every parish and town council of the Districts of East Dorset and Christchurch Borough call a vote of no confidence in East Dorset District Council and Christchurch Borough Council such is the gravity of the adoption of the Core Strategy by this and Christchurch Borough Councils.
The Chairman invited the Leader of the Council, Councillor Monks to respond to Mr Lonsdale.
Councillor Monks
Whilst the Council has received the petition seeking to revoke the decision to adopt the Core Strategy, I am respectfully going to propose that the Council do not take that action.
The Core Strategy has been through an extensive statutory process for many years prior to its adoption in April and at many times during the formulation and consideration of the contents of the Strategy, public consultation has been sought on its content. That consultation has been conducted in accordance with all relevant statutory provisions and it is not accepted that insufficient time has been allowed for public consultation.
Indeed Chairman, Members this Council this Council consulted for far longer than the statutory minimum time. The adoption process required the Council to put before an independent planning inspector for approval how the strategy had come into being and what consultation the Council undertook in its formulation.
The Planning Inspector was clearly satisfied that the Council had undertaken all the necessary steps required to move the Strategy through its stages in readiness for adoption, and the Inspector had the power to reject the Strategy if the Council had failed in its consultation requirements. That did not happen.
The Strategy has been adopted by the Council following due process. It now forms the strategic planning guidance to facilitate development in the District over the plan period and given compliance with the statutory regime facilitating adoption of the Strategy, I cannot support the petitioners request for revocation of the adoption decision.
I therefore propose that the Council does not revoke the decision to adopt the Core Strategy.
RESOLVED that;
The Council does not revoke the decision to adopt the Core Strategy.
Voting: 27:2 (2 Abstentions)