Referendum on Newport developments ruled out by council
Tuesday 22nd November 2011, 10:59AM GMT.
A referendum on developments facing Newport ‘would not be practical’, council leaders told a fraught public meeting last night.
It follows calls for a ballot on plans for around 850 houses and two supermarkets by town councillors Andrew Eade and Adrian Meredith. They want residents to have their say on four controversial planning applications before a decision is finally made next year.
But at an open meeting last night attended by more than 200 residents, Telford & Wrekin Council leader Councillor Kuldip Sahota said a referendum was not likely.
He told the meeting: “A referendum is something that should be borough-wide and it costs £245,000.
“If Newport has a referendum, it could open the floodgates for others elsewhere.”
Councillor Sahota was joined by the council’s head of planning Michael Barker and Councillor Bill McClem-ents at the meeting at the Royal Victoria Hotel.
The meeting, organised by Newport & District Chamber of Commerce, became fraught as former council leader Councillor Eade and Councillor Sahota clashed.
Councillor Eade told his successor: “You have dodged every question. Show some leadership and put Newport first.”
But Councillor Sahota said the proposals were moving before Labour took control in May.
He snapped: “I am leading. This is your mess. You are one who started it.”
Councillor McClements admitted the sale of council-owned land for a 60,000sq ft supermarket on Station Road would help ease the budget deficit. “We have £80m of debt which has to be covered,” he said.
Councillor Sahota assured campaigners that applications would be dealt with ‘on merit’.
There are currently four major applications on the table for Newport, including 285 houses on Wellington Road, 215 houses on Audley Avenue, 350 houses and a supermarket on Station Road and another supermarket on Audley Avenue.
All the plans are likely to be decided early next year.
Lilleshall resident Kate Foster said the council should think of Newport “as a gem.”
Councillor Sahota said: “It is a gem, but so is every town in the borough.”
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“Would not be practical” = “is likely to confirm that the Council’s objectives are completely at odds with the opinion of the public they are supposed to serve”.
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It’s all cut and dried anyway. The land was bought and the deals done ages ago. As usual a few people will get very rich from it and the people who live in the very town that will be affected get no say.
I am still waiting for a valid reason why the Focus Do-it-all building cannot be re-opened as a supermarket but needless to say I won’t get one. Not as much money to be made from that simple solution you see.
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My crystal ball predicts that if you were to get an honest answer it would be ….. “beacuase Telford & Wrekin Council does not own the land upon which the old Focus store sits therefore does not profit…”
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Quote Council leader Kuldip Sahota “If Newport has a referendum, it could open the floodgates for others elsewhere.” …..
Well Mr Sahota, as the leader of a group of individuals elected to represent the views and wishes of your constituents, why should the residents of Newport, or indeed any other community in the Borough not be given the opportunity to vote for how they want their community to be shaped in the future ????
We’re not exactly talking planting a few trees or building a new school here are we … we are talking about changing forever the face and shape of the Borough’s only remainng historic market town (Wellington and Dawley were destroyed in the name of TDC), … we are talking about going against Government policy and established documented research about the effects of such development on a local evironment … going aginst Newport’s own Town Council … going against your Council’s own planning policies and going against the wishes of the local electorate …. not a bad effort !!!!
If you need a small reminder, feel free to revisit the following article, featured oin this very Newspapers own website: http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/09/15/sainsburys-told-it-cannot-expand-telford-store/
Ohh, and in case you’ve forgotten what the Government has to say about developments like this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/15_02_06_highstreet.pdf … it’s a bit of a read but find your way to Section 4.1.c.3 LOCAL ECONOMY, the bit that starts:
“Without the widespread existence of local businesses, money will be drained from local economies. This will have a long term adverse affect on local and regional areas in the UK as there will be a discontinuation of local cash flows. Some studies show that 50% of turnover from local retailers is returned to the local economy. However large retailers may return as little as 5% to the local economy.”
And this is just referring to the new superstore, never mind the housing !!
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For goodness sake!
Newport is nothing special!
Planning applications happen all the time.
Houses are being built all over Telford, and Newport should also have new homes.
I wonder if Cllr Eade – will be knocking the doors of the new homes in 2015 saying “please dont vote for us Tories because we did not want you to live in Newport!”
As for the supermarket – if the people of newport dont use then it will close. My prediction is that it will be used and thrive.
Newport your nothing special – welcome to 2012!
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Heather,
Yes planning applications happen all the time but not to increase the population of a town by 25%. It is far too excessive. Most people in Newport are not against new houses, just not on this scale.
And yes a supermarket would be used, but the High Street would die. Smaller retailers will struggle to compete.
Finally, we don’t think we are special, just that our town is. I am unsure how having pride in and loving the place you live can be considered a fault.
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