WE UNDERSTAND that the West Way Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been passed, against the wishes of many Botley residents who fear that it will support the kind of “Doric development” that was rightly rejected a year ago.

Having given up last Thursday evening to attend the Vale of White Horse Scrutiny Committee for the SPD, we were appalled at the bullying tone and weak arguments put forward by the planning department representatives and Councillor Mike Murray (cabinet member for planning policy) in favour of the SPD.

Residents’ concerns about building height were dismissed as “matters of opinion”.

A freedom of information request revealed that the rightly-rejected Doric application was used as the basis for the SPD, contrary to previous council statements, but this was brushed aside.

The same consultant (not just the same consultancy, DTZ) was appointed by the district council’s property team to advise on the property sale’s contractual details and also by the planning team to advise on the viability of the SPD, clearly removing the “Chinese wall” that should separate politicians and developers. Councillor Murray had not been at those meetings, and explained that “these are very impressive consultants who wouldn’t think of doing something questionable”.

When Mr Murray and Adrian Duffield, the responsible planning officer, were unable to show that the SPD’s sustainability appraisal is legally sound – Mr Murray showed his ignorance of the requirements for this essential supporting document by citing the wrong legislation – they stonewalled by repeatedly saying “our advisors say that the appraisal is appropriate”.

All of the reasonable, well-supported comments from local residents and carefully-phrased questions from the committee were rebutted not with evidence, but with a simple assertion that “the document is lawful and robust”.

The document is not robust and so not lawful.

The Scrutiny Committee did its reasonable best to scrutinise, but it is not possible to do this when the people that you are scrutinising suggest that you are out of order when the word “trust” is mentioned (as the brilliant Debby Hallett did in suggesting that local people don’t trust the district council), and simply say “the document is lawful” without showing any evidence.

The SPD has been bullied through against the wishes of residents.

RIKI THERIVEL AND GRANT NIGHTINGALE
North Hinksey Lane, Botley