PETERSFIELD Town Council has defended its planning committe after claims that its members debate projects "without any preparation and total disregard for the interests of the community". Elizabeth Jefferson, of Herne Road, Petersfield, attended a council meeting at the Festival Hall for the first time and was "shocked" to see the lack of preparation. "The meeting was to view the plans for the proposed development by Kebbells to the land south of Idsworth Down, Petersfield," said Mrs Jefferson, who attended with neighbours. "This affects us directly as our gardens abut the site." Mrs Jefferson and her neighbours were concerned that the proposed new development would overlook their homes, and were quickly informed that "we were not there to make comments". Mrs Jefferson said: "Perhaps they feel it's for the East Hampshire District Council to do the job, in which case, why do we have a town council." Town clerk Neil Hitch responded to claims that town councillors didn't spend enough time looking at plans prior to the meeting, adding: "All members can inspect the plans in advance of the meeting, however that is often difficult, especially for those in full-time employment." Regarding claims that Mrs Jefferson was not allowed to voice her opinion in the meeting, Mr Hitch said: "The public had the opportunity to comment on the application within the public participation time at the meeting. "The public are not able to join in the debate when councillors are directly considering the matter, which is what Mrs Jefferson tried to do on this occassion. "The planning committee is aware of the district council's planning policies. We have to consider our response to applications in the light of this knowledge and bearing in mind what type of buildings are already in existence in the area and whether the application is in keeping with the locality. "The town council is only a consultee on planning matters and does not make the final decision on any application. We do encourage members of the public to let us know their views as that is often helpful to councillors." Mr Hitch added: "The chairman gave the members of the public guidance on what to do when the application was considered by EHDC in order to be helpful, knowing that many people are not aware of how the 'system' works." Mrs Jefferson was also concerned that only four members were in attendance, to which Mr Hitch responded: "It is unfortunate that only four members were present at this meeting, but that is the quorum. Of the remianing seven committee members, four were in Warendorf on a twinning visit at their own expense and three were on holiday."
