Further delay to Local Plan will prolong “developers assault” on Uttlesford district

Further delay to Local Plan will prolong "developers assault" on Uttlesford district.

Group calls for the resignations of the Council leader and the Portfolio holder for Planning.

Reacting to the news that the R4U run Uttlesford District Council has further delayed the publication of the first draft of the new Local Plan by months, Cllr Melvin Caton, Leader of the Lib Dem and Green Alliance Group on the council said "we were promised three months ago by the R4U administration that the Plan wouldn't slip any further, now it looks like it could be February next year when the draft will be published".

This further delay before the first draft of the Plan goes out to consultation will have unwelcome consequences- developers will continue their assault on Uttlesford by submitting further speculative applications whilst the Council has an out of date plan and no 5 year land supply. This assault will cause irreparable harm to our district.

The R4U administration promised that the Plan would be completed within four years but now it is certain to stretch to six years. The financial impact on the council will make a bad situation even worse. The original cost of producing the plan was originally £7m. This delay will further add to the costs when the council is already looking for at least £3m worth of savings over the next four years.

The leadership of Uttlesford is totally amateurish. The Leader of the Council, Cllr Lees and the Portfolio holder for Planning, Cllr John Evans must take responsibility for this failure and resign their positions. Cllr Evan also bodged the management of Stansted Airport appeal resulting in the award of costs against the Council in excess of £1.4M."