Cllr Bayford
Last night, as a ward councillor and jointly with Cllr Linda Aldred and Cllr Doug Clark, I/we argued against the proposed decision for Cabinet to gift the current green space at Dalby Square to developers for them to build on. Despite our very best efforts your cabinet decided to completely ignore our pleas.
I therefore now write as Leader of the Opposition to outline the wider implications of that Cabinet decision for Thanet District Council as a whole.
Firstly, the residents group totally ignored by the Cabinet process has been promoted by TDC over the past seven years as an exemplar community partner, appearing in many TDC publications and in the press. Indeed, your predecessor even took a Government Minister to the square to see the group's sterling work. And quite rightly, the Dalby Square Group have worked tirelessly for around a decade, raised almost £400,000 to do what could actually be described as the council's own work for them, and made an enormous difference to their community and our local environment. As Cllr Lind Aldred quoted last night, your TDC community involvement statement says "It is important that the community is involved from the early stages".
So why were the valiant efforts and more importantly the serious concerns of a local residents group simply airbrushed out of a report and how can TDC now assure other groups across the district that they are being listened to and taken seriously?
The TDC plans for Dalby Square drawn by TDC officers that went through the TDC Asset Disposal Process in 2008 were completely ignored by you and your colleagues when making last night's decision. A 700 sq mtr green was clearly shown to residents and ward councillors as part of any future development of the site during the Asset Disposal process. Last night's decision will leave not one blade of grass or community space for residents or visitors.
How can people here in Thanet have any confidence in the TDC Asset Disposal public consultation process if such significant changes as the removal of a 700 sq mtr green space can occur AFTER the consultation process has been completed?
Last night Cllr Doug Clark explained that he had spoken to the architect for the developer and asked him if he had been briefed by planning of the concerns of the residents about saving the green area at the south end of Dalby Square - his answer was that he had not. Only three weeks ago full council at TDC agreed a KEY COMMITMENT to improving quality use of open spaces and a KEY PROJECT to develop a targeted programme for improving play facilities. Furthermore, in a recent press release on the new garden development rules you said yourself “It is a step that will transform our ability to prevent unwanted development and gives us more power to protect our valuable green spaces”.
How can the people of Thanet trust a council that says one thing and does the absolute opposite?
Residents are also asking why the developers drop-in consultation took place on one evening and the following evening TDC declared the square a Conservation Area? And how can the land be 'gifted' to a developer by cabinet AFTER a planning application has been received but before a decision has been made and therefore during the application process? It all sounds very shifty to residents and I have to say I can understand why.
Thursday's appalling decision goes well beyond the green space, well beyond Dalby Square and well beyond Cliftonville West. It has ramifications for all the residents of our district here in Thanet regarding their dealings with our local authority.
Cllr Clive Hart - Leader of the Opposition TDC.
6th August 2010
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