The Future of the Vale


On 15th October the VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council) Council voted through the draft local plan until 2031.

The draft plan does appear at odds with recent central government advice that “councils must protect our precious green belt land“. The plan would remove land from the Green Belt between Oxford and … Abingdon and neighbouring villages such as Cumnor, Kennington and Radley.
  
The draft plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination, and local people have received a leaflet, called ‘The Future of the Vale‘. asking for comments about whether the plan is appropriate, achievable and in line with the government’s policies on planning.

You can read how to enter your comments here – until 19th December 2014.

I suppose that if the plan is seen to be inappropriate, unachievable, or out of line with central government’s policy on planning, then the wild-west world of predatory developers – that has become such a feature of the coalition government – will continue.

23 thoughts on “The Future of the Vale

  1. Lyle Lanley

    or as I read it…

    we’ve ignored all your comments from the past proposal,

    we’ve decided that this is what we are going to do already.

    we’ll pay lip service to listening to your input, but dont think for a minute that it will make a difference.

    Of course, when you see where the people who are making these planning decisions actually live, it all makes perfect sense.

    Abingdon is going to be saddled with a major development, with no sensible consideration or action on the infrastructure necessary to support it.

    Still, all those Vale councillors and planners will be well away from the lack of schools, doctors, traffic chaos and green space, and there is nothing we can do about it. 🙁

    Reply
  2. Hester

    There is a public meeting about this tomorrow (Wednesday) 6.00 Guildhall. The leaflet makes it clear that at this stage the consultation is just about technicalities: have the Vale met legal requirements, followed proper procedures for consultation and sustainability appraisal, is the plan in accordance with national planning policy, justified by evidence and achievable.

    Reply
  3. newcomer

    Lyle…you’re A Star. Thanks for letting it ‘all hang out’, Backstreeter. I comment on here as I know, in his heart, Backstreeter is one of the guys wearing a white hat in this particular Wild West.

    What’s there to trust about the numpties running all levels of councils’ planning? NOTHING. No experience, no vision, no long-term planning, no empathy with the community, no commitment to excellence. They’re GLIB, SELF-SATISFIED, EXCUSE-SEEKERS when everything goes tits-up.

    The internet is here. We should let these slugs know what we think of them. Nimmo Smth and his ilk should hear the tumbrils coming.

    Oh … don’t expect little Nicola to actually DO anything.

    Reply
  4. Steveo

    Lyle and Newcomer I couldn’t agree more. They talk about “Big Society” but won’t listen to anyone and wonder why nobody wants to vote for them!

    Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who listened and could be trusted to do what is best for Abingdon!

    Reply
  5. newcomer

    Sorry for coming back so quickly, but thanks, Steveo … we three are ‘on the button’.

    What is needed::

    1) A means of firing politicians who are either self-seeking, or beyond their pay grade.

    The list starts here … long list … too boring to type.

    2) Drive it into politicians’ brains that a ‘mandate’ is not, as some local political numpties would like to think, a licence to pose as a business genius with other peoples’ money. On a National level it doesn’t give you the authority to send other people’s children to war to get killed/brutalized in faraway places according to the politician’s whim.

    I’m really quite despairing of the low grade ore attracted into politics nowadays. All ambitious front and no substance.

    As for the West Vale Mafia ….

    Reply
  6. Daniel

    I can’t help but agree that any opinion on the plan, whilst nice to air, will ultimately be fruitless. Abingdon’s fate has been sealed. We will merely have to live with the consequences.

    I also happen to agree that newcomer’s hat would be an interesting one thrown in to the ring. Sadly, equally fruitless of course.

    Most of the irksome decision making will not be swayed by one lowly ‘new thinker’, and even IF the people of Abingdon were sufficiently galvanised to get a decent independent to just stand in each of our towns constituencies… Even if they got voted in and had a majority…the actual decisions that affect us at this level are done by The Cabinet…and there’s no way sense and sensibility, will ever infiltrate that!

    Sad, I know…

    Reply
  7. DespairingOfTheOlderGeneration

    Steveo, newcomer, Daniel, seeing as you won’t be doing anything yourselves, would you actually pay any attention to anyone who put themselves forward as an independent or is it simply too easy to snipe and say how terrible the world is, and that you know better than anyone else?

    Reply
  8. daniel

    I would most definitely be interested in what an independent might have to say (and how they might hope to achieve their aspirations).

    But I would still like to snipe and grumble.

    Can I do both?

    Reply
  9. Steveo

    Agreed again Daniel, I’d happily pay attention to an independent, especially if they could make to higher power see sense.

    🙂

    Reply
  10. davidofLuton

    I think that unless an independent found a single-issue populist cause to gather votes from they would struggle to get elected without a party structure of deliverers, volunteers and information behind them.

    Over the years I have become a little cynical about “consultations”. Often they seem an exercise entered into purely for PR or legal obligation reasons where the powers that be tell the public what is going to happen, rather than consulting on what *might* happen. Generally the consultation happens to late in the process that the project has a momentum that cannot be deflected, let alone stopped whatever the public think.

    I remember in Abingdon some years ago attending the Abingdon County Hall consultation. I asked the representative from English Heritage, “Would anything said here tonight alter the decision already made by English Heritage?” he replied, “no”.

    At that point I realised it was an exercise in hoop-jumping by English Heritage rather than anything with substance or meaning.

    PS I am a member of EH, so appreciate a lot of what they do.

    Reply
  11. daniel

    …I kinda disagree. An independent would not need “a single issue, populist cause”. The fact that they are “not one of the above” would mean they’d likely walk it! And of course would resolve the issue that “they are all the same” and the apathy that that brings (and understandably so).. Provided the electorate gets over the fact that “what happens here” has nothing to do with what happens in Westminster…and think ‘local’, of course. We are constantly told by the yellow and the blue teams that the red team, green team, and purple teams all have no chance here – so vote for yellow or blue. Well…the fact that yellow and blue is what we have, or what we have had…and in 5, 10, 15 years nothing has changed for the folk of Abingdon would suggest that it isn’t worth voting! A proper ‘choice’ would actually re-engage people; I reckon!

    But then that brings me back to an earlier point. Being an independent. Even winning as an independent. Even having an independent majority in Abingdon…would do a fat lot of good; as all the decisions are made by The Vale Cabinet. No one on the Vale Cabinet represents Abingdon in anyway…and there-in lies [part of] the problem.

    It would be nigh on impossible to amend this status quo, and as such…as much as I, or any others might consider standing as an independent…it would do a fat lot of good; and only bring further heartbreak and disappointment to an already despondent, frustrated, angry, disengaged electorate. Accepting Abingdon’s fate is far less stressful. And it is at least far more satisfying (even if only temporarily) to jeer from the side lines!

    I read one of those pathetic ‘inspirational management’ quotes the other day – something along the lines of….”if you don’t like something; change it. If you can’t change it….change the way you feel about it…”. Complete bunkum of course; but in this instance, quite fitting. Hey, I even quite like Abingdon now!

    Meanwhile, I couldn’t agree more….The Vale Plan is a juggernaut beyond the input and opinion of the electorate. The fact it is based on spurious, inaccurate figures is saddening beyond belief, as we are to be lumbered with an ill-fitting solution that will serve no one but the developers pocket.

    Reply
  12. Hester

    The current government came in on lots of promises of localism and even introduced legislation purporting to make it happen.(Just read some of the statements made by successive Planning Ministers at the time!) Some of us have recently written to our MP to suggest that she remind local councillors and officials of the spirit – not just the letter- of that legislation and enquire why they are not applying it. We will also be making similar approaches to those who do make the decisions.
    I have a lot of sympathy for some of the views expressed above – that is why I too haven’t stood for any Council – but haven’t given up hope on trying to persuade those who are in power – especially as elections loom.

    Reply
  13. Lyle Lanley

    this sums it up for me..

    The people making these decisions have no stake in the result, other than making sure it doesnt affect them.

    Yes,we are all nimbys one way or another, but when you have no true representation, and you are effectively ignored, is it any wonder we snipe and moan.

    Although I have no strong political leanings, I seriously hope everyone has observed just how much our current incumbent MP has actually done, ( as appose to empty platitudes, whilst lining herself up for parliamentary positions ), for Abingdon in the last 4 years, and consider this, and her 176 vote majority, come polling day.

    There seems only one real way to express our unhappiness with the way Abingdon is going to be saddled with this expansion, and thats thro the ballot box.

    Reply
  14. Old Ghost

    I was musing on this as I returned home from a visit to Abingdon this week. Here in the New Forest we’re not really troubled by Other Parties, everything being shades of the True Blue and most decisions being taken in the Club or the Lodge before being put before the council (according to local myth anyway). Does seem to work reasonably well, not to mention the medieval power of the Verderers etc. So maybe democracy is the problem.
    Sadly Abingdon does seem to have suffered more than most towns of similar ilk, but is it worth remembering that this is the County Town that refused the railway? You could be living in Reading now, if that makes sense.

    Reply
  15. DespairingOfTheOlderGeneration

    It might well be more satisfying to jeer from the sidelines, and maybe less stressful simply to lie back and accept Abingdon’s fate.
    But remember that plays into ‘their’ hands, so you’re actually making it worse for everyone.
    If you’re bothered enough to read the leaflet, you should be bothered enough to engage, to carry on engaging, and support anyone else who wants to, not peddling fatalistic views, accepting the state of affairs we have now, and dragging everyone else down.

    Reply
  16. Lyle Lanley

    @DespairingOfTheOlderGeneration

    I think you are wrong, engaging in a consultation over an already done deal just completes the fait accompli.

    Of course I will still complete the online consultation document again, and try to attend the meetings, sadly I couldn’t make last night’s.

    I see from the report tho, that the ‘promised’ lodgehill junction is already being back tracked on, and that we should be happy they want to hack into our green belt, because ‘Oxford are doing it as well’..

    As I say, fait accompli..

    Reply
  17. daniel

    @DOTOG…

    Nowadays….I can bearly even be bothered to read the leaflet in the first place!

    I do however respect your sentiment, and I also apologise if anyone who isn’t already dragged down by all this, has been by what I said.

    Welcome to “down here”! It’s not great…but at least the view to ‘over there’ looks nice. You can’t beat a good view.

    Out of interest…can anyone give any examples from our neck of the woods (sorry…a poor greenbelt pun in their somewhere), where a planning/development decision has gone ” in our favour”? I can’t. But, I can be wrong…

    Reply
  18. newcomer

    I’m looking forward to ‘Despairing ….’ showing us how it should be done.

    Daniel, we’ve talked about this …. sometimes it’s just a head/wall situation ;0)

    Reply
  19. DespairingOfTheOlderGeneration

    I’m not saying that I do know how it should be done. All I’m saying is that those of you who have given up shouldn’t spend your time shouting about how awful everything is because it drags everyone down to that level (even if it is a good view). It’s annoying me; just imagine what it is doing to someone who thinks they can make a difference.

    Reply

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