T WAS surely inept and inappropriate of Matthew Barber to express his views on the Doric proposals for West Way while the planning application is still being considered.
The Vale of White Horse District Council, of which Mr Barber is the leader, has a dual responsibility for West Way – it is a landowner and also the planning authority.
In a letter to Doric, in December 2013, Cllr Barber assured them that “there continues to be a separation between the council’s role as landowner and as planning authority”. We would like to receive the same assurance, but Cllr Barber’s comments suggest otherwise.
Councillor Barber can be forgiven for mistakenly awarding the initial contract to Doric (the details of which are shrouded in mystery) but, come the local elections in May 2015, he and his fellow councillors will not be forgotten by the voters of Botley for destroying their local centre.
Mr Barber can redeem himself and the situation by listening to what the people of Botley want from their local centre rather than promoting Doric’s plans for a development which is out of scale and out of character with its location.
DAVID KANE, Grange Court, Botley
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