Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's response to Camrose campaign

As a council we understand and support the role of the local media in challenging the council and the right to campaign and express opinions on local issues.

However it is important that conjecture is not stated in a way that unfairly undermines the reputation of the council and its officers. This is the case in some of the opinions expressed in the Gazette articles about the Camrose planning application at Development Control Committee.

Officers have considered the Camrose planning application against planning policies in the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan. As part of assessing the planning application on its individual merits, officers needed to consider what equivalent facilities would be required as necessary mitigation for the loss of the Camrose facilities if the planning application was to be approved.  As the expert statutory consultee, Sport England has recommended the measures detailed in the report.

The role of the planning officers is to assess applications objectively and professionally and make recommendations for the councillors to make a final decision. Criticising officers for doing their job in line with planning law and processes and suggesting they cannot understand the area if they don’t live here is unfair to our dedicated team.

The councillors on the committee have been democratically elected.  Their role on the committee comes with significant legal responsibilities to take decisions on planning applications on the planning matters involved. Your opinion piece refers to a ‘cosy relationship with developers’, something that has been implied in other articles and comments, which is a totally unsubstantiated allegation.

We understand that emotions run high on this issue and there will be a range of opinions around it. But not to challenge the assertions made is to let them be accepted as fact without any basis in truth.