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Letter for AA 24.3.08 A precedent set for MegaShed planning meeting Dear Sir, The welcome news that the plans for MegaSheds at Pyestock were unanimously rejected by Hart Councillors last week must by now be common knowledge. I and a number of colleagues from the STOP! Alliance were there with 500 or more local residents to witness this decision. We went to this Planning meeting, firstly to support our friends in SPLAT, the campaign to stop these sheds being built; secondly, to hear the arguments for and against the development which match closely the widespread concerns about the Andover Airfield development, including traffic, safety, pollution, loss of visual amenity, health. Our third and most important reason for attending was to see what arrangements the Council made for speakers to present their concerns or support for the project direct to Councillors. To reflect the complexity of the planning issues involved, the meeting was arranged in 7 themes (e.g. policies, traffic, noise & air quality etc) -so that the Planning Officer and speakers for and against could present clear and contained facts on each of these subjects. Each speaker was given 4 minutes for each theme, each theme being followed by Councillor comment and debate. The total time allowed for speakers, both for and against, was 28 minutes, a length of time which allowed justice to be done to the complex subject matter in hand – without repetition, hesitation or deviation – and which fuelled intelligent questioning and debate. TVBC current Standing Orders states that for the Goodman/Tesco planning decision meeting, after the Planning Officer’s presentations, speakers for and against will only be given 3 minutes each to present – no time to provide the key facts that will aid the Councillors in their decision making process. We understand that TVBC can set aside this current Standing Order at a meeting of full Council and allow more time for such presentations to be made. We call on TVBC to do just that and thus help ensure that justice is done to the arguments for and against the Goodman/Tesco proposed development – a proposal that will have the biggest impact on Andover since the London overspill. Yours faithfully Rhonda Smith For and on behalf of the STOP! Alliance
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