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IF NOT HUNTS GROVE THEN WHERE? |
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 27th September 200
Cllr Marjoram hits back at David Drews comments in the Stroud News and Journal. See also news release re Hunts Grove here:
In response to your article, “MP Drew hits back at critics” I think in reality it should have read, critics hit back at MP. For David Drew has set, in my view with twenty plus years of local government experience, an unprecedented scenario of calculated interference in the local democratic process.
Clearly as leaders of the Conservatives, Lib-Dems and the Greens spelt out, the calling in of the Hunts Grove planning application is no more than “political engineering” by both the two Labour Member’s of Parliament for Gloucester and Stroud. It has been deliberately done at a time, just prior to a possible General Election being called when few hundred extra votes in two marginal sets are essential to win for another term. These coming from disgruntled voters around the Hunts Grove area.
It is a very clever move for the public inquiry will not take place until well after the election. If the decision goes against David and Parmjit, with the inspector saying that the local plan has gone through the correct Local Plan process, which I believe it has, then they can say, well people of Hardwick we did try! However if it goes against the District Council then local people will have to pick up a tab of an estimated £100,000 cost of fighting an appeal plus of course finding land for 1750 new houses in the District squashed between the Severn flood plain and the ANOB in the district
I’m just wondering whether David has any ideas of were these number of houses can be re-allocated as it took six years of consultations to come up with the current scheme, which was voted through unanimously by the Council, including Labour Councillors, approved by the Government Inspector and accepted by the County Council and went through the South West Spatial Strategy.
The initial proposal by the then Labour Administration was the Painswick valley which, I hasten to add, wasn’t that popular. Stonehouse or somewhere like that David !?
John Marjoram District Councillor
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