The following statement was provided by Dorset Council chairman Cllr Val Pothecary at this evening’s (Thursday 15 July) Full Council meeting, regarding a petition submitted by the Save The Area North of Dorchester (STAND) group.
“A petition has been received from the STAND group, requesting that the council rejects the inclusion in the Local Plan of the site north of Dorchester as a preferred option for major building development. This petition has also been submitted as a duly made representation to the local plan consultation and is being considered alongside all the other responses received during the consultation period.
I’m afraid we cannot currently debate this petition as it relates to a planning decision, and we could be seen to be pre-determining the outcomes of the Local Plan consultation and development process. Openly debating the petition at this early stage, especially in isolation from all the other feedback we received, could potentially leave the Plan vulnerable to legal challenge in the future.
In April next year, Full Council will make the decision about the content of the plan for the next stage, the publication plan. This will then be published in May 2022, with the opportunity for people to make comments. All responses made at that stage will be considered by the inspector who will hold the public examination.
So I am pleased that in April next year the full council will be able to consider the STAND petition and the very many other responses to our consultation. All Cllrs will have the opportunity to take part in deciding what proposals go forward for publication. Therefore although the Petition will not be debated today, I can assure everyone that it will be debated as part of the Local Plan process.”
Find out more about the Dorset Council Local Plan development process.
As far as I know there is only pettison submitted with over 5000 signatures. It is difficult to understand how councillors’ debate leads to legal challenge and unfair to other residents and organisations that were given their views during the consultation. No one else wants to have a debate other than STAND fulfilling the councils’ requirement. One would say tha this is discrimination, deliberately blocking the debate.
This requires an explanation why debating the STAND’s pettion leads to/ results in a legal challenge publically as soon as possible.
Hi – The petition is being considered as part of the whole plan because it was submitted as part of the consultation. It will be taken into account alongside all the other comments we have received. Our constitution states that this is allowed. The Councillors will debate the whole plan taking into account all the views submitted. If they debated part of the consultation it could be viewed as predetermination and could lead to a judicial review. Fiona
The petition was submitted during the consultation. Yes. The petition is for the land allocation for a large housing development. This development proposal was never debated in the full council. The proposal will changed Dorchester without recognition. It was crucial to be debated in the Full Council Meeting. Why is the spatial planning team (SPT) worried about the debate. Sorry. The SPT have not arranged any forum, workshops and meetings either residents or Councillors, to debate about main issues concerning the residents. Residents wanted to be heard that is why they signed to express their views. As usual, They were not allowed/ heard it is easy to block different voices. Challenges!! Yes Challenges!! What the spatial planning team did in the past, November 2018, submitted this proposal to the government ‘s garden communities scheme, claiming that the spatial planing consulted with residents. The reality is as you well know that community consultation took place August-October. There was not any time to assess the consultation responses. It was well know by the spatial planning about the level of opposition to the proposal. So, what you did, without assessing consultation responses related to DOR15 you submitted proposal and claimed that you had consulted.. They may say we consulted a year ago January 2017.. Unfortunately there was not any DOR 15 policy in that consultation. This is predetermination… This is going to be challenge in respect to the petition (not allowed to be debated)
Hi Sam – the whole plan will be debated at full council. Town and parish councils had online surgeries with the team to talk about their concerns during the consultation period January – March 2021. The whole point of the Dorset Council Local Plan is to gather views from all residents and consider against planning policy. That is what is happening. All comments will be published in due course – and this will be promoted across all channels. Fiona
This is a lie. Would you give evidence when and which town and parish councils had online surgeries during the consultation period as you claimed above.
Would you give the name of a council and the date the said online surgeries taken place during the consultation Jan and March 2021.
Thanking you in advance
Yes please explain the reasons for arriving at the following:
“Openly debating the petition at this early stage, especially in isolation from all the other feedback we received, could potentially leave the Plan vulnerable to legal challenge in the future.”
Which law? What legal grounds? Why dither when you yourself describe it as a ‘could potentially’? And it is hardly at ‘an early stage’, is it? This has been going on for years now.
And please name all those involved in this – any councillors with shares in Persimmon et al? Local MP? Ilchester Estates?
Hi – The petition is being considered as part of the whole plan because it was submitted as part of the consultation. It will be taken into account alongside all the other comments we have received. Our constitution states that this is allowed. The Councillors will debate the whole plan taking into account all the views submitted. If they debated part of the consultation it could be viewed as predetermination and could lead to a judicial review. Fiona
It is not a consultation response document. It is a petition. This will be challenged in the examination, Discriminatory attitude of the department is unbelievable.
Why dont you refer to the regulations, legislation and planning law? you cannot can you? That is why you cannot explain why this would be predetermination and leading to Judicial view. EXPLAIN WITH LEGISLATIONS, REGULATIONS, LAWS!!!!!
Sam – this explains everything https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework–2 Fiona
Please clearly state which policy in the national planning policy framework states your statement ,please refer to specific policy/ policies in the NPPF directly
Please clearly state which planning
Regulations and legislations refer to your statement, please specifically make reference to legislation/s.. regulation/s
Please respond the above clearly, specifically, meaning fully not very general way. As a lay person I request specific legislations and policies including the title, number and page number
Thanking you in advance
The plan will go through whether we want it to or not – just like the new council buildings – and there were plenty of objections over that development. Having stated that the ‘next stage’ ie the ‘plan’ publication will go ahead next April, makes me think that STAND and any other objecting bodies have already been dismissed out of hand.
Hi Annie – the Dorset Council Local Plan team are currently reviewing the 60,000 comments and the petition alongside the plan and planning policy – every comment/ signature is being considered. Fiona
Reviewing the petition!!! how ??? you have signatures so you are reviewing signature. Well done. They are planning considerations!! Well done…
I totally agree with you, Annie. They missed the boat. But I don’t understand why planners have such a worry about this proposal. They know the next stage is publication. Responses directly will go to the inspector…. They know this but why they are so defensive of this proposal. This brings the mind a lot of questions…
Yes you are absolutely right. The question is why?????
Everything the planning department do is behind close doors. Residents have eventually become aware of this and want to protect their town from further destruction. Like, Charles Street development. Regardless of the council’s extra funding the developer disappeared only building the South Walk Offices regardless of residents’ opposition and petition. What happened now, proved the residents’ view as opposed to the developer, councillor and planners.
The council should have been learnt from this disastrous experience and listen to its residents, NOT PRETENDING LISTENING & CONSULTING THEM. QUITE FRANKLY SOME RESIDENTS HAVE FOUND THIS SITUATION INSULTING..
Hi Fiona
The link below you refer to is not telling anything about the distinction between a petition and a response to a local plan consultation. It does not tell us if the petition submitted by STAND debate in one of the full consul meeting the council will be challenged by other interested parties.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-
framework–2
Would you please give me exact number or paragraph of a planning legislation/s that the council will be challenged by other interested parties in case the STAND petition is debated by the DC councillors