BASE HEADER

We note that concerning the Duty to Cooperate, the Inspector in his letter of the 1 June 2015, "was satisfied that the Council has engaged constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis in terms of overall housing provision and indeed other strategic matters. I conclude therefore that the Council has complied with the duty to co-operate." This may look to be the case from reading the documents produced, however we do not feel that the council has "actively engaged" through a transparent and appropriate methodology which has enabled the general public an opportunity to participate and engage constructively. We feel that the council has repeatedly made poor attempts at responding to questions by residents of Hatton Park at meetings. There have been strong oppinions voiced over many years about about these damaging ongoing plans (H28) and yet the reported "evidence base" seems based on a select number of willing responders who are capable of understanding how to make a representation. The data is therefore skewed, non-representative, and biased. Had more appropriate research evidence-based methodology been considered, for example mixed methods (i.e., both qualititative and quantitative research), and a greater breadth of synthesis techniques, then a more robust and rigorous evidence-base would have been gathered. This in turn, would have given us greater confidence that a more representative documentation of the plethora of objections would have been reported.

We feel helpless in the decisions that are being made about these future plans. The council are still unable to answer our questions about road access to these increased number of houses on this site, issues regarding flooding on the land which remains waterlogged for most of the year, and many other issues (e.g., managing the overcapacity of local schools, damage to wildlife, severe traffic congestion).