Page 7 - link magazine

The Ridgeway Farm decision and the wider implications for localism,
democracy, global pressures and future planning policy

Dr Richard Pagett of environmental campaign group Purton Ps &Qs reflects on the Secretary of State’s decision
When a major planning application and the people did will create significant no credibility.
is being considered the basic require- not want it (several negative impact on There is no democracy in all this.
ments are that it should be needed, it hundred objected). adjacent locations. Ridgeway Farm illustrates how semi-
should conform to agreed policies, There was no need. Both Wiltshire and autocratic decision-making erodes
it should be in a sensible place, and Yet the planning in- Swindon councils trust, which is a fundamental building
that it should be achievable. spector went against knew this, yet the block of democracy.
Looking at Ridgeway Farm, the all this, including planning inspector When the local plan and core
two planning authorities (Swindon against two inspec- simply ignored the strategy of Swindon and of Wiltshire
and Wiltshire) did not want it, tors looking at nearby obvious. She said respectively are finally accepted by
the relevant Swindon and North planning applica- it was necessary to central government, it will be too
Wiltshire MPs did not want it, the tions. provide jobs, yet these late. The houses will have been built
local councillors in Swindon and in Swindon and Wiltshire both have jobs are short-term and do not build in the wrong place.
the affected parishes did not want it housing strategies that were being de- the local economy. This is not planning, it is the power
veloped (their Core Strategies/Local Finally, the inspector in her deci- of ideology riding roughshod over
Plans) where they have identified sites sion noted that because the developers the people and their representatives.
Shaw Residents’ and allocated housing in other places. said they could deliver the houses, As to the future, the great issues of
Association To find a planning document that then their requirements had greater the day: climate change, water chaos,
Next meeting Monday 4 February, supports Ridgeway Farm one has to weight. Yet thousands of homes relying on the rest of the world to feed
8.30pm in Ramleaze Community dig into history to a regional plan, already permitted lie unbuilt. us (40 per cent of our food comes
Hall, next to the medical centre. the much derided Regional Spatial There are several long term prob- from abroad), energy fragility, unsus-
New members are welcome to Strategy (RSS) created in 2006. lems arising from this decision tainable population and the largest
attend to discuss community issues Yet the RSS was revoked by the The government’s policy of local- problem of all, our governance, the
such as planning applications, and Coalition Government because it is ism is dead in the water - local people decision of Ridgeway Farm is blithely
council policies. no longer relevant to today’s require- have no voice, local councillors have ignorant of all this.
Members also organise practical ments in terms of likely demographic no voice and MPs have no voice when We, the people, deserve better.
projects to improve the area, such as and economic needs. faced with ideology. Ideological and poor calibre decision-
litter picks and planting new trees in The Ridgeway Farm location is Sensible planning can be cast aside making has no place in the Britain of
the village centre. not great. It has poor transport links when it does not suit. Relying on a 2013, and certainly not in Wiltshire.
www.shawresidents.org.uk and educational facilities and it years-old plan is plain daft and has Yet we live with the consequences.

swindonlink.com • February 2013 7

1-18 February 13.indd 7 17/01/2013 10:02