28.10
Dear Sir
I am writing to query the way that the decision was made to carry on with the Rotherwas Relief Road Project. This goes against the recommendation of the enquiry inspectors and will possibly end up putting Herefordshire into debt, paid by the Council Tax Payers! Unless someone can come up with a properly constructed Business Plan stating the benefits (if any) to Herefordshire, the costs that will be incurred and the way these costs will be covered and the time it will take to pay back any borrowings proposed, when this is put before the WHOLE COUNCIL AND TAX PAYERS to have the opportunity to comment on it, then I suggest the Council has no right to go ahead with this Project.
I understand that it was not put on the Agenda for the Meeting at which the decision was taken. As far as I am aware items put on the Agenda after the agenda has been delivered within the correct number of days can only be used to make members of the Committee aware of items that may need to be dealt with at a future meeting or for information. Also that something as important as the relief road cannot be dealt with in such a cavalier manner. Everyone who may have an interest in this matter should have been informed in the correct manner that this item would BE ON THE AGENDA.
I am sure that a decision so badly mishandled will be open to challenge and I will certainly add my support to any such challenge.
Yours faithfully
Joan Thwaites
Dear Sir
I am writing to query the way that the decision was made to carry on with the Rotherwas Relief Road Project. This goes against the recommendation of the enquiry inspectors and will possibly end up putting Herefordshire into debt, paid by the Council Tax Payers! Unless someone can come up with a properly constructed Business Plan stating the benefits (if any) to Herefordshire, the costs that will be incurred and the way these costs will be covered and the time it will take to pay back any borrowings proposed, when this is put before the WHOLE COUNCIL AND TAX PAYERS to have the opportunity to comment on it, then I suggest the Council has no right to go ahead with this Project.
I understand that it was not put on the Agenda for the Meeting at which the decision was taken. As far as I am aware items put on the Agenda after the agenda has been delivered within the correct number of days can only be used to make members of the Committee aware of items that may need to be dealt with at a future meeting or for information. Also that something as important as the relief road cannot be dealt with in such a cavalier manner. Everyone who may have an interest in this matter should have been informed in the correct manner that this item would BE ON THE AGENDA.
I am sure that a decision so badly mishandled will be open to challenge and I will certainly add my support to any such challenge.
Yours faithfully
Joan Thwaites
27.10
Dear Mr Phillips,
I understand that the proposal to go ahead with the Rotherwas road was not on the written agenda and was not available to members and public 10 days before the meeting on 28th July. Members had no time to consider the proposal carefully before voting and the public like myself could not object.
I am unhappy that I could not attend somehow at an enquiry and wonder when the next full council meeting is. I hope you give notice in the newspapers etc, so I can be there. I want to be involved and I am concerned about the effects of this road and would like to know more.
This seems very undemocratic, to throw this at a meeting without any consultation time for the public.
Anita Sancha.
28.10
Dear Ms Lear (Sancha)
The dcecision to proceed with Rotherwas Futures which is the programe of investment into the whole of the estate including the access road was taken at the Cabinet Meetings in September. Agendas published in advanced.
The next Council Meeting is on the 3rd November.
Roger Phillips, Council Leader
Dear Miss Lear,
Thank you for your e-mail of 27th October, 2006. I am afraid that I don't think the information you have been given is correct. The issue which was before the Council on the 28th July was the report of Cabinet which was listed at item 1.2 under the heading "Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan (UDP): Inspector's Report, Statement of Decisions and Reasons and Proposed Modifications". An amendment was proposed to the
recommendations. It was proposed that the Council reject the
Inspector's recommendations at 5.14/1 and 5.3/3 with reference to land at Bullinghope and amends the relevant modifications accordingly. This had the effect of including the Bullinghope site and text as it was in the revised Deposit Draft. There were no proposals to reject the Inspector's recommendations in relation to housing land at Holmer, Hereford.
Although that resolution had an indirect connection to the provision of the Rotherwas Access Road there was no decision at the meeting of 28th July to which you refer in relation to the Rotherwas Access Road.
The principal of the Rotherwas Access Road has very clearly been in the Council's planned proposals for some considerable period of time. Indeed planning consent for the road was granted some considerable time ago. The issue faced by the Council has been one of securing funding for the access road. The decision in relation to the funding of the road was taken at a Meeting of Cabinet held in September. Notice was given of that meeting and a decision in relation to the Rotherwas Futures Project was called in under the Council's constitution by the
Strategic Monitoring Committee. The Strategic Monitoring Committee concluded that the Executive (i.e. Cabinet) should not be requested to reconsider its decision to proceed with the Rotherwas Futures Project.
I hope this outline clarifies any misunderstanding.
Neil Pringle, Chief Executive, Herefordshire Council
Tel: (01432) 260044
Fax: (01432) 340189
e-mail npringle@herefordshire.gov.uk
Editor's note: Not really Neil, no. The decision on 28th July was officially about housing of course, but you know as well as anyone that it was really about how to fund this road. It was the late amendment many of us are angry about, not giving councillors enough time to think about a decision that would, as you very well know, give the final go ahead to the road.
You are correct to say this has been in the Council's plans for some time - it has also been a short-sighted and ill thought out plan for the same amount of time, and one which is likely to be causing financial, environmental and traffic headaches for local people for years to come without actually, in the long term, solving any of the problems you think it will solve.
Dear Mr Phillips,
I understand that the proposal to go ahead with the Rotherwas road was not on the written agenda and was not available to members and public 10 days before the meeting on 28th July. Members had no time to consider the proposal carefully before voting and the public like myself could not object.
I am unhappy that I could not attend somehow at an enquiry and wonder when the next full council meeting is. I hope you give notice in the newspapers etc, so I can be there. I want to be involved and I am concerned about the effects of this road and would like to know more.
This seems very undemocratic, to throw this at a meeting without any consultation time for the public.
Anita Sancha.
28.10
Dear Ms Lear (Sancha)
The dcecision to proceed with Rotherwas Futures which is the programe of investment into the whole of the estate including the access road was taken at the Cabinet Meetings in September. Agendas published in advanced.
The next Council Meeting is on the 3rd November.
Roger Phillips, Council Leader
Dear Miss Lear,
Thank you for your e-mail of 27th October, 2006. I am afraid that I don't think the information you have been given is correct. The issue which was before the Council on the 28th July was the report of Cabinet which was listed at item 1.2 under the heading "Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan (UDP): Inspector's Report, Statement of Decisions and Reasons and Proposed Modifications". An amendment was proposed to the
recommendations. It was proposed that the Council reject the
Inspector's recommendations at 5.14/1 and 5.3/3 with reference to land at Bullinghope and amends the relevant modifications accordingly. This had the effect of including the Bullinghope site and text as it was in the revised Deposit Draft. There were no proposals to reject the Inspector's recommendations in relation to housing land at Holmer, Hereford.
Although that resolution had an indirect connection to the provision of the Rotherwas Access Road there was no decision at the meeting of 28th July to which you refer in relation to the Rotherwas Access Road.
The principal of the Rotherwas Access Road has very clearly been in the Council's planned proposals for some considerable period of time. Indeed planning consent for the road was granted some considerable time ago. The issue faced by the Council has been one of securing funding for the access road. The decision in relation to the funding of the road was taken at a Meeting of Cabinet held in September. Notice was given of that meeting and a decision in relation to the Rotherwas Futures Project was called in under the Council's constitution by the
Strategic Monitoring Committee. The Strategic Monitoring Committee concluded that the Executive (i.e. Cabinet) should not be requested to reconsider its decision to proceed with the Rotherwas Futures Project.
I hope this outline clarifies any misunderstanding.
Neil Pringle, Chief Executive, Herefordshire Council
Tel: (01432) 260044
Fax: (01432) 340189
e-mail npringle@herefordshire.gov.uk
Editor's note: Not really Neil, no. The decision on 28th July was officially about housing of course, but you know as well as anyone that it was really about how to fund this road. It was the late amendment many of us are angry about, not giving councillors enough time to think about a decision that would, as you very well know, give the final go ahead to the road.
You are correct to say this has been in the Council's plans for some time - it has also been a short-sighted and ill thought out plan for the same amount of time, and one which is likely to be causing financial, environmental and traffic headaches for local people for years to come without actually, in the long term, solving any of the problems you think it will solve.