Facts’ are nonsense (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Facts’ are nonsense

11:34am Friday 3rd February 2012 in Letters

Sir.–The Conservative councillors for Chineham, Bramley and Sherfield claim to be the arbiters of facts.

Yet, SOLVE (Save Our Loddon Valley Environment) maintains their whole letter (right) is riddled with inaccuracies and misleading information.

Their implication that opposition to the exclusion of Manydown is politically motivated is nonsense.

The opponents are a broad alliance of individuals and organisations representing the entire political spectrum, including some of their own Conservatives (who were disciplined for standing up for their residents), Independents and parish councils north, east, south and west.

We contend that their first “fact”, that the decision not to promote Manydown was taken in 2006, is incorrect. Manydown was being promoted up to 2009 by the county council and the decision ‘not to promote’ was executed in 2010.

The councillors also claim they have ensured “sites that have been balanced around the town to ensure that no single place has all the housing development”. Nonsense.

The plans set aside contiguous sites to build 2,362 homes from Old Basing through Chineham to Sherborne St John, despite the fact that the Conservatives promised never to build a ‘Major Development Area’!

Finally, they are scaremongering by claiming that without an LDF “we risk developers deciding the rules”. Nonsense again. Eric Pickles, Conservative Secretary of State in charge of planning, has recently dismissed three appeals by developers, giving a clear message that councils should have time to prepare their plans under the National Planning Framework and Localism Act.

To ensure residents get the facts and not the political spin, SOLVE invites Councillors Still and Vaughan to participate in a public meeting with community groups and other candidates to discuss the whole LDF process prior to local elections in May.

–Sent on behalf of SOLVE