Local people are horrified by the Labour Government’s decision to reject their own planning inspector’s recommendation and give permission for a Mega Depot at Pyestock.

Adrian Collett, Lib Dem County Councillor for the Pyestock area, says: “The vast majority of residents strongly oppose the Pyestock mega-depot.? This proposal led to more letters of objection than ever before in Hart?  The Council considered the application in depth and decided UNANIMOUSLY to reject it.? After a month-long planning inquiry, the planning inspector strongly recommended that the application be thrown out.?  YET one junior minister can overturn all this and give planning permission – directly in the face of all informed opinion! What on earth is the point of the planning system if this can happen?

Liberal Democrats are as one in saying:

“This decision MUST be challenged in the courts and Hart Council should be taking the lead in defending our area from one of the worst proposals ever to threaten us.”

Yet Hart’s ruling Conservatives have left SPLAT campaigners to challenge this undemocratic decision in the High Court.

Liberal Democrat Councillors David Simpson and Dave Neighbour are proposing the following at Hart Council’s next meeting; 

Motion for Full Council Council Notes that:

1.The planning application for Hartland Park, normally known as Pyestock, was refused unanimously by the Council’s Planning Committee.    

2. The applicant appealed against the decision and lost.   

3. The Secretary of State over ruled his own inspector and has given planning permission.

4. The unelected peer who made that decision had only been in post a matter of weeks and is unlikely to have read and digested properly the detailed papers presented and accepted by the Inspector.

5. Council has decided not to appeal to the High Court against this decision by the Labour Government, a decision that is opposed to expert advice, common sense and local democracy

 6. SPLAT have taken up the challenge and have put in an appeal to the High Court. 

Council therefore resolves: 

1. To give as much support as is legally possible to SPLAT. That support should be monetary, administrative and any other way that may help them.    2. To deplore the anti democratic approach inherent in the Labour Government’s handling of this case.

 3. To call upon Democratic Structures Working Group (DSWG) to revisit the delegated powers to Officers that allow democratically elected representatives to hide behind an employee on matters of such importance to our community. 

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