By Press Release
Despite a three-hour meeting called to discuss the new Island Planning Strategy (IPS) on Wednesday night, councillors failed to reach any decision other than voting to reject the document in front of them.
The first hour and a half was taken up with other business, but once the meeting moved to discuss the controversial planning strategy, which will decide the Island’s housing and planning policies for the next 15 years, the already fractious atmosphere descended into open hostility.
Sparks flew, with supporters of the plan wanting to move forward to save the Island from unwanted developments and get out of the current situation, with national policies being used to determine local planning applications. Others argued against the document, raising concerns about using out-of-date data and wanting housing targets reduced.
A motion to put the vote out to a six-week consultation, before sending it for scrutiny by the government’s Planning Inspectorate, was tabled by Cllr Paul Fuller, the cabinet member for housing, who stressed that further change would be possible. After lengthy debate, Cllr Fuller’s motion fell by 18 votes to 16, with all members of the Conservative group, Lib Dem Cllr Andrew Garrett, Independent Labour Cllr Geoff Brodie and two members of the Alliance Group, Cllrs John Medland and Chris Jarman voting against the proposal.
A second motion was tabled by Cllr Jarman, Alliance cabinet member for finance, who wanted to send the IPS back to officers to recalculate the housing figures using 2021 census data, and not the 2014 figures in the current IPS. The government held a consultation last year on whether newer figures could be used in the calculations, but decided against amending the rules. A report from planning officers said that using the new figures would mean a delay of at least 12 to 18 months as it would have to be entirely rewritten along with all the background information. It has taken almost six years for the plan to get to the current stage. The meeting ended before Cllr Jarman’s motion could be voted on.A spokesman for the Alliance Group said: The result of Wednesday’s meeting is to leave us stuck in a rut. We cannot take the new IPS forward and, as things stand, we have no alternative to take back to the cabinet for reconsideration.
“While it is obvious that the many good things in the IPS have been universally accepted we cannot move forward, the block vote by Conservative members against supporting the plan has left us in a situation where we are still subject to their own government’s rules and the ‘tilted balance’. As such we remain at risk of uncontrolled development. Indeed this risk is more severe now.
“We have to await those who opposed the IPS coming up with a viable alternative that they are willing to vote for. At the end of the meeting it was plain that while there was a majority against the plan there was no agreement as to an alternative way forward.”