Council decision is a victory for democracy (From Salisbury Journal)

Council decision is a victory for democracy

12:27pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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IT was with relief that I learned that aspects of the core strategy and in particular the issues of housing and industrial development are to be further reviewed.

The council leader, Paul Sample, was quoted in the Journal on the developments at Winterslow, Alderbury and Laverstock and indicated that there would be significant changes in the plans for these areas.

How have we reached this situation whereby, after the vast expense of the consultation exercise, the council admits that the plan is flawed?

This is something which was obvious to most people at its introduction.

Who is responsible for this misuse of our taxes?

Is it the Regional Spatial Strategy Group or our own district council and its officers?

We must pray that those people looking forward to serving on the unitary authority are listening to the new voice of the people, both locally and across the UK.
DAVID SARGENT, Alderbury

• FEW of the 300 or so people who were at the start of the Extraordinary Meeting of full council on Wednesday, April 23, would have managed to endure the entire four-and-a-half hours to the end.

Anyone who did would have seen something to reaffirm their belief in the power of democracy.

All the grandstanding of the first two hours was put aside, the meaningless attacks by the Tories were stopped and all the parties worked together to reach a consensus that would best benefit our local area.

In many ways it was a game of two halves.

The first half was won by everything that is wrong with politics and the second showed us what local democracy should be about.

Local people have spoken loud and clear - we want more time for consultation and sensitive development - to their credit, the council have listened and acted.
NICK RADFORD, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman for Salisbury

• MAY I place on record how very honoured I am to represent, with Bill Moss, the people of Winterslow Ward.

Over the last six weeks I have witnessed a surge of community spirit at packed public meetings across the ward aimed at resisting the housing strategy.

This illogical strategy aimed to destroy the very foundations of our rural way of life in order to meet unvalidated government housing targets and jobs that did not exist.

As the Journal reported, the Winterslow Ward fight-back culminated in a rousing demonstration that packed the Guildhall Square.

I am so proud to have been involved with our communities.
CLLR CHRIS DEVINE, Salisbury District Councillor - Winterslow Ward

• I FEEL that I owe it to all of my constituents from Firsdown and Winterslow who attended the recent council meetings to clarify what a momentous thing they have achieved.

The pressure they created, at the full council meeting and at various meetings in village halls over the last few weeks, not to mention the demonstration in the Guildhall Square, resulted in the overturning of proposals to develop 2,500 houses in either Winterslow or Firsdown.

The result is that the Core Strategy Preferred Options are to be re-examined.

This has proven a victory for democracy and shown that the voice of the people is still heard loud and clear in Wiltshire.
BILL MOSS, Salisbury District Councillor for Winterslow

• I WOULD like to say many thanks to the public who packed City Hall for the Extraordinary Meeting of Salisbury District Council last week, and to the many who spoke.

This helped force another phase of consultation about future local development.

As one of the councillors who called for this meeting, I was delighted with the sensible outcome and the support shown by residents.

I will be offering to help with the wording of the next phase of consultation, to ensure that it is much clearer and easier to understand.

It is also essential that parishes and towns are able to have much more input into deciding their own future.

The forward planning system ideally needs to work from the bottom up.

I believe that there is a great deal of common sense and realism in each community in this district, when it comes to finding appropriate solutions to some difficult problems.
JANE LAUNCHBURY, Salisbury District Councillor for Downton and Redlynch

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