Campaigners call for re-vote over planning document

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CAMPAIGNERS have called on council bosses to halt plans to re-vote on a controversial planning document.

The original vote on whether or not plans for future house building within the borough and across the border in Bromsgrove should go out to consultation was lost when two Labour councillors left the room, meaning they were outvoted by the Conservatives 14 votes to 13.

But the move has been approved by neighbouring Bromsgrove District Council which wants to start consultation on April 1 and has sent a letter to Redditch Borough Council asking it to reconsider its position.

The document needs to be put to the public by both councils at the same or the whole plan could be scuppered.

The borough council's executive committee will reconsider the matter on Tuesday (March 12) and full council later this month.

David Rose, chairman of the Webheath Action Group, has urged council leader Bill Hartnett to drop the 'undemocratic processes' saying the result of the vote taken last month should stand.

"We recommend another, but this time independent, analysis of areas should take place as soon as possible and a newly proposed area to accommodate Redditch growth - ie Bordesley - should be tabled in a new report.

"To table the same report again to get a desired outcome for the ruling group is blatantly unconstitutional and undemocratic."

But Coun Hartnett said the council had a 'duty to co-operate' under the Localism Act and would consider the contents of the letter.

Conservative group leader Carole Gandy said while she understood an issue could be brought back to the council within six months of a decision being made if new information had come to light, she did not believe that to be the case with the growth consultation.

"The issue is really whether a formal letter from the leader of Bromsgrove saying they will not consider any sites other than the two put forward is any different to the information we had at the meeting. I would say it isn't. Yes we did not have that in writing but everybody in our group and everybody in the Labour group and officers knew that Bromsgrove were not prepared to consider other sites.

"For me I can say that legally what they are doing may be loosely possible but morally there is a bit of an issue here."

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