Special Select Committee chosen to investigate viability of Ford eco-town
, Thursday, 01 May 2008
Eight District Councillors and an independent planning advisor have been chosen to lead an investigation into the proposed eco-town at Ford and the dates of their investigation confirmed.
Council members agreed to the proposals put forward by Arun’s Cabinet at last night’s Full Council meeting (Wednesday 30 April), giving the green light for a special Select Committee to be established immediately.
Beginning on the 27 May 2008, the members of the special Select Committee will hold a six-day enquiry into the viability of proposals from the Ford Enterprise Hub and the Ford Airfield Vision Group to site a major new development in the Ford area, including land for 5,000 homes, shops, schools and sites for new businesses.
The public investigation by the special Select Committee will see the promoters and developers behind the two eco-town proposals at Ford invited to submit evidence for the Committee’s consideration.
Many other key organisations and stakeholders, including the County Council, the Environment Agency, the PCT and town and parish councils will also be invited to attend and participate in the examination of the sustainability ‘credentials’ of both schemes.
At the end of the investigation the Select Committee will compile a final report that will be submitted to the Government as part of the first consultation phase.
The eight councillors that will sit on the special Committee are:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Cllr Graham Tyler, who will Chair the Committee, said: “This is going to be an open, professional and unbiased investigation into the viability of establishing an eco-town at Ford.
“The members of the Committee and I are all entering into this with completely open minds and will examine all of the evidence placed in front of us with complete objectivity.
“We will come to a conclusion based on evidence and facts, and with the help of our independent planning advisor, submit a report to the Government that reflects this.”
The eight councillors have been selected against a strict set of criteria to ensure the Committee remains independent and that an unbiased review of the evidence is produced.
Councillors were automatically discounted if they had a professional or personal interest in the eco-town proposals, including members of the Local Development Framework (LDF) and Development Control Committees, or Councillors that live or represent one of the affected wards.
As a local Council rule, the Committee has to reflect the political balance of the Council, resulting in six Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats making up the membership.
The Councillors will also be joined by Jim Redwood, a highly-experienced independent planning advisor who will sit with the Committee and pose questions on their behalf. Mr Redwood is the former Director of Environment and Housing at Crawley Borough Council and now works as a consultant in his own private planning practice.
Councillor Mrs Brown, Leader of the Council, said: “Despite the necessary restrictions on who could join the Committee I am totally confident that we have a strong and fair team to conduct this investigation.
“The Government has so far refused to make public how they decided to shortlist Ford as one of only 15 sites in the country for an eco-town. At no point did they consult with us, the local planning authority that has spent over half a million pounds researching where the best location for large development in our District is, nor our residents, who must live with this unprecedented scheme if it goes ahead.
“Residents in this District deserve the right to hear what exactly is being proposed at Ford, and to hear the evidence that supports or opposes these plans. They also need the opportunity to make their own views known and this investigation will give them that chance.”
The Committee will investigate a list of the most important topics, likely to include issues such as roads and transport, housing and community infrastructure, based on technical issues raised by specialists and questions submitted by the public prior to the first meeting.
A date and time will be allocated for the discussion of these topics and published on the Council’s website www.arun.gov.uk/ecotown in due course.
Each session will be opened by the Chair and the independent planning advisor will pose the questions that the Committee would like answered. The invited participants for that session will then have the opportunity to respond, and there will then follow a discussion managed by the Chair. Other members of the Committee, as well as the planning and technical advisors, can also ask questions.
Time will be allocated within the six-day investigation to public questions, in which residents will be allowed to raise issues around the proposed siting of an eco-town at Ford with the special Select Committee.
The Council’s eco-town website, www.arun.gov.uk/ecotown, is now up and running. As well as providing updates on the Committee timetable and pages of technical information, residents can also feed their comments into the Select Committee’s investigation via an online form.
Links are also provided to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Ford Enterprise Hub and Ford Vision Group, and the local residents’ campaign ‘CAFÉ’ (Communities Against Ford Eco-town).
Council members agreed to the proposals put forward by Arun’s Cabinet at last night’s Full Council meeting (Wednesday 30 April), giving the green light for a special Select Committee to be established immediately.
Beginning on the 27 May 2008, the members of the special Select Committee will hold a six-day enquiry into the viability of proposals from the Ford Enterprise Hub and the Ford Airfield Vision Group to site a major new development in the Ford area, including land for 5,000 homes, shops, schools and sites for new businesses.
The public investigation by the special Select Committee will see the promoters and developers behind the two eco-town proposals at Ford invited to submit evidence for the Committee’s consideration.
Many other key organisations and stakeholders, including the County Council, the Environment Agency, the PCT and town and parish councils will also be invited to attend and participate in the examination of the sustainability ‘credentials’ of both schemes.
At the end of the investigation the Select Committee will compile a final report that will be submitted to the Government as part of the first consultation phase.
The eight councillors that will sit on the special Committee are:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Cllr Graham Tyler, who will Chair the Committee, said: “This is going to be an open, professional and unbiased investigation into the viability of establishing an eco-town at Ford.
“The members of the Committee and I are all entering into this with completely open minds and will examine all of the evidence placed in front of us with complete objectivity.
“We will come to a conclusion based on evidence and facts, and with the help of our independent planning advisor, submit a report to the Government that reflects this.”
The eight councillors have been selected against a strict set of criteria to ensure the Committee remains independent and that an unbiased review of the evidence is produced.
Councillors were automatically discounted if they had a professional or personal interest in the eco-town proposals, including members of the Local Development Framework (LDF) and Development Control Committees, or Councillors that live or represent one of the affected wards.
As a local Council rule, the Committee has to reflect the political balance of the Council, resulting in six Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats making up the membership.
The Councillors will also be joined by Jim Redwood, a highly-experienced independent planning advisor who will sit with the Committee and pose questions on their behalf. Mr Redwood is the former Director of Environment and Housing at Crawley Borough Council and now works as a consultant in his own private planning practice.
Councillor Mrs Brown, Leader of the Council, said: “Despite the necessary restrictions on who could join the Committee I am totally confident that we have a strong and fair team to conduct this investigation.
“The Government has so far refused to make public how they decided to shortlist Ford as one of only 15 sites in the country for an eco-town. At no point did they consult with us, the local planning authority that has spent over half a million pounds researching where the best location for large development in our District is, nor our residents, who must live with this unprecedented scheme if it goes ahead.
“Residents in this District deserve the right to hear what exactly is being proposed at Ford, and to hear the evidence that supports or opposes these plans. They also need the opportunity to make their own views known and this investigation will give them that chance.”
The Committee will investigate a list of the most important topics, likely to include issues such as roads and transport, housing and community infrastructure, based on technical issues raised by specialists and questions submitted by the public prior to the first meeting.
A date and time will be allocated for the discussion of these topics and published on the Council’s website www.arun.gov.uk/ecotown in due course.
Each session will be opened by the Chair and the independent planning advisor will pose the questions that the Committee would like answered. The invited participants for that session will then have the opportunity to respond, and there will then follow a discussion managed by the Chair. Other members of the Committee, as well as the planning and technical advisors, can also ask questions.
Time will be allocated within the six-day investigation to public questions, in which residents will be allowed to raise issues around the proposed siting of an eco-town at Ford with the special Select Committee.
The Council’s eco-town website, www.arun.gov.uk/ecotown, is now up and running. As well as providing updates on the Committee timetable and pages of technical information, residents can also feed their comments into the Select Committee’s investigation via an online form.
Links are also provided to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Ford Enterprise Hub and Ford Vision Group, and the local residents’ campaign ‘CAFÉ’ (Communities Against Ford Eco-town).
