DEAR Sir, It is pleasing that Mr Taylor has now admitted that the spectre of possible development to the south and west of Harlow has been around for over a decade and not just the five years or so that he has been electioneering.

One key comment made by Mr Taylor shows that he really does not understand the difference between A Local Plan and Planning Permission. 

He said in his letter “Cllr Churchill says that previous meetings have set the stage for when the real applications are presented to the relevant Planning Committees. Well I am afraid to say he is wrong. The decision to build will have already be taken by then.”

This comment alone shows that Mr Taylor does not understand what a Planning Committee is, as his experience within Local Government is as a Housing Officer I can understand his mistaken claims. 

It is a quasi-judicial committee that is heavily regulated by statute, one of the key elements of that is that there can be NO predetermination of an application prior to the meeting and that any decision made must be decided on the evidence placed before the committee on the day. Any evidence of predetermination can be used to place an objection against any decision.

The Local Plan guides decisions on future development proposals and addresses the needs and opportunities of the area. Topics that Local Plans usually cover include housing, employment and shops and they also identify where development should take place and areas where development should be restricted. 

The Epping Forest Local Plan is just that Epping Forest, it does not consider the Harlow area so the use of Rye Hill Road does not come within EFDC’s local plan nor for that matter does it come within Harlow’s either because there is no development at Latton Priory in Harlow’s plan because it isn’t within Harlow’s area.

Mr Taylor is helping the developers by throwing up a smoke screen concentrating any objections to the local plan’s when he should be preparing for the real fight when actual planning applications are made, identifying specific plans for Latton Priory including where the traffic will be going and how that will be managed. It is very difficult to oppose a planning application when one doesn’t exist yet!

The Conservative administration have made it very clear that we are against development to the south and west of the town, I can’t speak for Labour apart from saying that they have stabbed residents in the back by agreeing not to stop the sale of any land to developers that would stop access into the town. A policy we reversed when we came to power.

Regards

Councillor Nick Churchill

Ward Councillor for Sumners and Kingsmoor

Harlow District Council