Colchester local plan and Sajid Javid

Colchester Borough Council (CBC) has an ‘emerging Local Plan’ for 2017-2033. It’s a government requirement to have one. New CBC leader, Mark Cory, is holding a listening event about it at the Town Hall at 3.30pm on Tues 7 August. (Previously there was the Adopted Local Plan 2001-2021, an 80-page document that was largely ignored, as far as I can tell.)

My questions for the listening event would be:


Firstly, how far can the public have faith in local councils being able to implement any plans they make when we have a history of local democracy being overruled by central government. I suspect these local plans are a sop – like when they say “Here's your new nuclear power station – now what colour would you like us to paint the gate?” Two examples:

• Recently in 2016-2017 there was the case of Tollgate Village development in Colchester, a £70 million scheme.  According to EADT - 

"Colchester council chiefs originally refused planning permission for the development over fears it would be detrimental to businesses in the town centre. But developers Tollgate Partnership Ltd appealed to the government." 

In August 2017, Tory Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid overruled the CBC planning committee. (CBC is mainly a Lab and LibDem coalition.) Then, in November  Justice Lang DBE dismissed an appeal by Fenwicks and Lion Walk Property SARL. against Sajid Javid’s decision and in December, as reported in the Gazette, Justice Ouseley dismissed their further appeal 

• The other example, further afield, is Preston New Road (PNR) near Blackpool, Lancashire. According to the BBC this is (near?) the site where Cuadrilla’s fracking tests were the 'likely cause' of tremors (an earthquake!) in 2011. Following legal challenges and relentless campaigns from environmental activists, trade unionists and residents, Lancashire County Council’s decided in 2015 to reject Cuadrilla’s plans at PNR.  But the then-communities minister Sajid Javid - him again - overturned the local decision in 2016. When it comes to fracking, does democracy count for much?

Secondly, who is this shady character called the Inspector? Name of Roger Clews. Who appoints him and who is he accountable to. In his letter of 2 August 2018 he says :

“In my advice letter of 8 June 2018 I concluded that the garden community proposals in policies SP7-10 were not adequately justified and had not been shown to have a reasonable prospect of being viably developed. They were therefore unsound.”

This suggests that he has refused proposals for “9,000 homes at east Colchester, 24,000 homes at Marks Tey and potentially 13,000 at Andrewsfield” (as Rosie Pearson of CAUSE describes them). Is that right? It seems the person to ask is Programme Officer Andrea Copsey on 07842 643988 or copseyandrea@gmail.com ...

PS 11/08/2018 (with thanks to PB):.

• The inspector has not 'refused' proposals for the West Tey Garden Community, he has explained that the Braintree, Colchester and Tendring joint draft local plan has not given sufficient evidence to support their claims. CBC Local Plan meeting Monday 13/08/18 may decide which of the inspector's suggested three options is chosen. 
• The trouble is that, if the Garden Communities do not go ahead, the demand for more housing will fall on the towns and villages.