Public meeting - 9th February 2024
Say NO to Thatcham NE Development
THIS HAS NOT GONE AWAY!
Local Plan Review – Public Meeting
7.45pm on Friday, 9th February at The Memorial Hall, Upper Bucklebury
The Local Plan review has been submitted for public enquiry. The Inspector has asked his preliminary questions of WBC and set out a plan for public hearings.
WBC’s LibDem majority tried firstly to alter the submission to remove Northeast Thatcham (THA20) but the inspectorate declined and then called an EGM in December 2023 to vote to have the Local Plan submission withdrawn but the power to do so was negated by the minister. Whilst the LibDem leader, Lee Dillon, has written to the minister, they are stuck with the current submission at a public enquiry.
It is important for parishioners to be informed and to have the opportunity to ask questions. We, the Bucklebury Says No, BPC Working Group have organized a public meeting with our experts Andrew Black, Paul Goriup and Chris Read, our ward councillor, in the same way that we did at Reg 19. This will be at 7.45pm on 9th February at The Memorial Hall, Upper Bucklebury.
This is an opportunity to ask about the steps WBC and BPC will deploy. Whether WBC vigorously defend their submission or not, the developers surely will. If we want to prevent or limit development, we need to be heard at the public enquiry. You will wish to understand our plans and influence our thinking.
BPC plans to continue its opposition to the part of the plan that proposed housing at Northeast Thatcham. The public mandate that supported our opposition at Reg 18 and 19 we believe to be unchanged. The experts we employed during the last phase (Reg 19) are available and willing to continue to assist. The campaign against THA20 will continue to be led by ‘Bucklebury Says No’ an apolitical working group of BPC.
The current steps proposed are;
- Argue that WBC failed in their duty to cooperate. If proven, this could well be fatal to the Plan. The best argument is over the failure to effectively consult and plan medical care for residents at THA20. This subject is even mentioned in Lee Dillon’s letter.
- To provide factual summaries of the core BPC arguments for the inspector on, inter alia, environment, ecology, traffic and housing numbers.
- To be represented and speak to these issues at the enquiry.
These are all tasks that require professional input and work. BPC has earmarked funds for this work being a mix of donations unused at the Reg 19 stage and funds from the parish council precept.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday, 9th February and to continuing the lively discussion that we saw at the last meeting.
Peter Spours
Chairman ‘Bucklebury Says No’ BPC Working Group
Can’t Attend? If you are unable to attend the meeting, we will be providing updates on our Facebook page: “Say NO to Thatcham NE Development (2500 houses in the countryside)”. Alternatively, you can email us at BuckleburySaysNo@gmail.com and we will send out updates.