This is a warning to all communities preparing a Neighbourhood Plan

.

After spending many months developing their Neighbourhood Plan residents in Littlehampton have just had a nasty shock! After submitting their plan to Arun District Council it was subsequently submitted and approved by the Planning Inspector.

But guess what …

It is now alleged that Arun effectively removed a key clause in the plan designed to protect the town’s current leisure sites – and without consulting all stakeholders.

LTC’s web site says: “Arun District Council in a representation to the examiner outside the formal arrangements for commenting argued that to ‘enable the relocation of the leisure centre they need to retain the appropriate flexibility on possible uses in order to assist the funding of the new facility’. In other words they want to be able to redevelop the site. This representation was not shared with everyone until after the examiner’s report had been circulated. The examiner accepted this late representation by ADC and has recommended the removal of the restriction of use for leisure purposes”

The clause in question was designed to ensure that, in the event of the Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre being relocated to elsewhere in the town the site would be preserved for leisure use only.

Obviously, the stakeholders in the Neighbourhood Plan can no longer recommend it to their residents and, if it were to go through to referendum, they would be put in the position of opposing the very document they helped to create!

… and then, as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, Cllr Mrs Brown, leader of Arun District Council said:

“This is very positive news for the residents of Littlehampton who have been involved throughout the process of creating this Plan. However, it is very disappointing for local residents that Littlehampton Town Council have yet to agree to the examiners recommendations.  This will delay the opportunity for residents to have their say as the referendum will have to be postponed.”

You see how it works now – Arun have amended the document but it is all the fault of the Town Council that the referendum will now be delayed whilst it takes legal advice.

As usual Cllr. Mrs Brown accepts no responsibility herself, merely seeking to attach the blame to others.

Terry Ellis of Littlehampton put it succinctly in a letter in this week’s Littlehampton Gazette when he said: “In an exercise of sheer effrontery, she tries to blame our town council for the reason ‘it has yet to agree to the examiners recommendations’… The delay is due to Arun’s attempted manipulation and intervention in our plan. It is not the town council trying to be perverse – it is merely trying to protect our town from the rapacious desires of Arun, and by the way, with our support.”

Only one thing is certain and that is that Arun’s Conservative Group will do what they do best – they will look the other way!