Council accused of ‘steamrollering’ over village’s Neighbourhood Plan

RESIDENTS of Haddenham, near Thame, have accused Aylesbury Vale District Council of ‘steamrollering’ over their emerging Neighbourhood Plan.

Masterplan for land at The Glebe, Haddenham

 In a statement, Richard Moore, Chairman of Haddenham Parish Council’s Communications Committee, said: “An outline planning application to build 280 units on the farmland opposite Tiggywinkles (known as The Glebe land), which runs counter to the draft Neighbourhood Plan and contrary to the wishes of the majority of the community, has been recommended to be approved by Aylesbury Vale District Council Planning Committee on January 28.

“After two years of research, investigation and consultation Haddenham’s Neighbourhood Plan has been completed and is about to be submitted and undergo a final check before being voted on by villagers.

“According to AVDC the nascent Neighbourhood Plan ’carries insufficient weight at this time’ to influence the decision on the application. Approving this application will torpedo the Neighbourhood Plan which would promptly sink without trace and the village of Haddenham would become a tasty target for predatory developers.”

Chairwoman of Haddenham Parish Council, Margaret Aston, declared: “I am bitterly disappointed by AVDC’s uncooperative and unhelpful attitude.”

At a meeting of the Haddenham Planning Committee on Monday (19/01/15), the Parish Council decided to request that the Secretary of State calls in the application, and that they would advise the Oxford Diocese, which owns half the land in question, that this is not what their community wants and that it undermines the Neighbourhood Plan. They also decided to request that Haddenham’s MP, John Bercow, intervenes, and to seek to publicise, what the committee described as ‘the shambles and sham that ‘localism’ has become’, and ‘to ensure a vocal and obvious presence is manifest’, at the AVDC Planning Committee meeting on January 28.

No one from Aylesbury Vale District Council was available to speak to today, despite strenuous efforts, though a member of the planning team suggested that the ‘Committee report’ dated January 16, (scroll right down at the link below) explains the background to the recommended refusal. (See particularly paras. 1.9, 1.21 and 1.22)

Full details of the planning application and all associated papers can be found here: http://tiny.cc/529usx

NB TRANSPORT POLICY – SUPPORT OF THAME

The draft policies of the HNP aim to, ‘enhance internal and external connectivity in the village through the use of public transport, and facilitate walking and cycling as the main means of access’ and contributions are be sought from all new developments to fully fund the design and delivery of a cycle route between Thame and the Haddenham and Thame Parkway station.

Because this draft policy matches that of Thame’s adopted Neighbourhood Plan, and because Thame Town Council has already successfully secured financial contributions from developers of its own housing sites towards the cycle route, Thame Town Council is to support this policy in Haddenham’s Neighbourhood Plan.