WITH a new Crest Nicholson Sainsbury's planning application for East Street described as "imminent" by Waverley Council, a call has gone out for Hazel Blears to intervene and secure more public involvement. The United Voice of Farnham pressure group has written to the Local Government Secretary with a catalogue of complaints over Waverley's handling of revisions to the proposals. In his letter to Ms Blears, chairman David Graham writes that the previous Lib Dem council were "virtually anihilated as a political force" at the local elections because of "wholly inappropriate development proposals" for East Street. But the new Conservative administration, which had promised to fully involve the public, has also fallen down badly on that score, according to the United Voice. "Without any pretence of public consultation, the new administration negotiated a revised development with their development partners and then produced a consultation document that provided little or no detail of the revised proposal," Mr Graham writes. He claims that only seven per cent of residents felt they had sufficient information to respond. Waverley's failure to put the proposals before its corporate overview and scrutiny committee and the failure of any councillor to speak at the debate by the full council are cited as further democratic failings. The minister is told: "The democratic involvement of the public was non-existent. No detailed masterplan was published or circulated for public consideration. "Faced with silent compliant councillors and no independent scrutiny, the community has become powerless." Claiming that Waverley Council has been guilty of maladministration, Mr Graham also points out that as well as being principal landowner and prime mover in the development, Waverley is also the local planning authority. This, he suggests calls into question whether judgment can be made free from bias or political influence. His letter ends with a request that Hazel Blears should intervene to secure more public invomevement and support the local community when application is made or her to "call in" the anticipated planning application for her own decision.
