You may be interested in the email sent to all SCDC District Councillors this afternoon. It reads:
Dear District Councillor
We wrote to Suffolk Coastal District Council (SCDC) Councillors back in October last year and caused a degree of offence by questioning the integrity of those who adhere to the ‘party line’, even when a Council proposal conflicts with the interests of their local parishioners. Well, it would appear the day of reckoning is upon us! We are about to discover the truth!
Since writing to you, the Kirton and Trimley Community Action Group (KATCAG) has focused solely on SCDC’s proposals and the evidence base being put forward in support of them. Some very clever and informed people concluded early on that the Local Plan is unsound on many different fronts and we considered it right to point out some of these, ahead of the Final Plan’s review by the Scrutiny Committee. Accordingly, a strongly-argued document was sent to each Scrutiny Committee member, ahead of its meeting. Not only were the issues ignored, they were not even raised for consideration!
Be that as it may, the Local Plan remains profoundly unsound and is likely to be shown up as such in the not-too-distant future. As far as Kirton and Trimley are concerned, we have every intention of dismantling the evidence base at the Inspectors hearing in June; unless, of course, reason prevails at the last minute (but we’re not holding our collective breath!).
Whether or not reason prevails at the last minute rather depends on how each District Councilor chooses to vote tonight. Whilst we have focused mainly on Kirton and Trimley concerns, there are some issues that will affect every District within the SCDC area. Housing is probably the most common example. Having consistently failed to complete an Objective Needs Analysis of SCDC’s true housing requirement, the SCDC Planning Department has now dropped any pretense they intend completing one, by accepting the Government’s housing need assessment formula. On the face of it, this may prove a ‘safe bet’ as far as the Inspector’s hearing is concerned, but it will also result in the construction of far more dwellings than is either justified or necessary; in due course, this will affect every single parish in the SCDC area. KATCAG acknowledges the need for a proportionate number of new houses to be built, but feel these should be for first-time buyers and the socially needy, not second-home owners!
The protest you will witness tonight includes a wide spectrum of SCDC parishioners who are fed up with SCDC’s pretense at consultation and their wishes being ignored. Please show you are a District Councilor who is prepared to stand up for those you represent. Thank you.
Stephen Wrinch
Spokesperson
Kirton and Trimley Community Action Group
A oopy of the "Smoke and Mirrors" blog was sent at the same time
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