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I was pleased that you decided to attend the Forum meeting at Whitnash this evening. I have thought for some time it would be good if you could sense the public feeling face to face.

What you witnessed was the outcry of the public against the Local Plan. Unfortunately because the speakers used the majority of the time lecturing the people on the merits of the Local Plan there was insufficient time for many more questions. Many people left because of this. We consider this is all part of the very poor consultation that has been the norm at the public meetings.

If you personally had given a brief introduction then invited questions you would have received the same information that the independent objectors have been bombarding you with since the start of the Local Plan. Together with my colleagues we speak to the people and understand their feelings. They are frustrated because WDC have not consulted them effectively.

The sadness of this Local Plan is that the sheer amount of work that has gone into it by WDC (and no one is denying that) means it has become their baby and they are now trying to defend it and will not listen to any criticism. That clearly needs to change. You have now seen the reaction and hopefully listened to the voice of the people.

If I can now remind you of the exchange of speech's in 'The House' by Chris White MP for Leamington and Warwick, and The Leader of the House - Mr Lansley, that I read out in the meeting.

Mr White: "Residents in my constituency are becoming increasingly concerned about the local plan being developed by Warwick District Council. They feel that their voice is not being respected and I believe that the Council needs to rethink its ill-conceived proposals."

Mr Lansley: "My Honourable Friend makes a specific point relating to his constituency and his local council. I hope that his local council will listen to what he says. The Localism Act 2011 sets out to give power to local authorities and neighbourhood plans, and tries to ensure that they take account fully not only of the simplified national planning policy framework, but do so in the context of local decision making by local people. He is right to stress that point".

The questions you now have to answer are
1. "Are you going to rethink WDC's ill-conceived proposals?"
2. "Are you going to take account of the simplified NPPF but do so in the context of local decision making by people?" On this point and to make it abundantly clear, the local decision making by the local people is they are totally against the Local Plan and are demanding it be scrapped and altered to follow a sensible alternative as has been suggested.

You and your officers have constantly made the point that you would have to have very special circumstances to build the houses in the Green Belt. Now you have very special circumstances. Spelling that out, there is almost total opposition to the Local Plan despite the attempts to sell it to the people. Personally I do not know anyone who is in favour except those who stand to make very considerable financial gains. Their wishes should be the last thing you consider. WDC should not show any allegiance, consideration or support to developers and land owners. Additionally the current planning applications are premature and should be treated as such. There is no proven need for these aggressive plans so they should be rejected totally if they are supporting the Local Plan.

The local people are telling you that the Local Plan is extremely bad planning and is unacceptable, so WDC need to withdraw the Local Plan, reject all planning applications and then listen to the people who are willing to spend their time in order to get an acceptable solution. The reasons given in objections are all very real arguments but have been rejected by WDC as if they were irrelevant. Or officers have tried to convince us of vain attempts to prove that mitigating measures will be taken. The general con-census has sunk to the accusations that someone is living in a dream world.

Ray Bullen spoke last on the 12,300 number of houses that is the core problem that WDC are using to support the Local Plan. We know there is no hard evidence to support the number of 12,300. As we understand, this is not a figure demanded by government so it must have been invented by WDC. The information used is understandably risky and will not stand up to the test of time.
When setting out the framework of the Local Plan, WDC should have made it their aim to satisfy housing needs to satisfy the needs of the local people. That is why it is called a Local Plan. They should not have set out to place the great majority in one densely packed area so the new residents would need to commute to their work place. As there is relatively little unemployment in the District compared with neighbouring Coventry, then it follows that very little new housing is necessary.

It has been shown that by adopting a much lower prediction of 5,400 homes or thereabouts there will be no need to allow any of the batch of applications now being processed.

Furthermore, to be planning now for what will extend as a plan for the next 18 years is foolhardy and extremely irresponsible. It is seen as bad planning at its very worst. When approved in its acceptable form, the Local Plan should only be allowing a phased number of houses each year. Most importantly the Local Plan should be catering for the needs of Local People and it is not doing so.

WDC should have used a more sensible lower figure to cover for the next 5 years. Then proposed to update this on a rolling basis without the commitment to provide infrastructure for the higher number they have adopted. As I have pointed out in earlier correspondence, and supported by my colleagues this would not have needed the concentrated brown areas on your maps as it could be contained by existing housing stock that needs upgrading, together with brownfield sites.

Further to this and even if we did need the 12,300, and we do not, the houses could be spread through the District by either proportional distribution or the creation of a single new site to the West of the District or a number of smaller ones. Leamington, Whitnash and Warwick have been used extensively in recent years for the majority of housing developments with negative effects on that area. These alternatives have been put forward but are not being examined seriously.

Now it is time to stop this rude attack and think again. WDC do not have to hide behind the NPPF or the Green Belt. These are not set in stone and can be relaxed to stop the intentions of the Local Plan. The Green Belt excuse was used to appease North Leamington protesters but we still seek further information on how this occurred and if members of the Council were involved. There must inevitably be a time when the Green Belt will need to be relaxed. That time is now to avoid great harm to the area South of Leamington and Warwick

There must now be acceptance of the reaction of the public and accept that the Local Plan should not proceed.

WDC have constantly defended the support of and allowing the current planning applications that are tied to the Local Plan. Their excuse has always been that if they do not approve them they will go to appeal by and be judged by a government inspector. This excuse has been traced down to the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP allegedly threatening to tell his inspectors to approve any such plans. This is a really serious turn of events and is being challenged. If that threat exists it must be removed to allow democracy to decide.

Regarding this point, WDC would be expected to do the right thing regardless of such fears they may have. Failure to do so will be an injustice. They are assured the people who are opposing the Local Plan and its planning applications will support them in that regard.

Finally the representative from WCC was considered to be rude and arrogant in the manner he spoke to the audience. He could not see that no one was listening to his ridiculous and dismissive comments about the road network. It would be appropriate if this comment was passed on to the leader of WCC as relevant to the opposition to the Local Plan..