Attached is some correspondence between the SOLVE/CountryWatch legal representative and the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

SOLVE and Country Watch's legal challenge to the council prepared by DAC Beachcroft LLP (click image to read): 14 December 2011

 Basingstoke and Deane Council's Response (click image to read): 21 December 2011

SOLVE Report – January 2012

It is unfortunate that the current Borough Council continue to defend their decision to exclude Manydown from the list of potential housing development sites.  Residents, Local groups, and Parish Councils from all over the Borough continue to make representations which fall on Council deaf ears.

The latest example was on the 23rd November at the Economic Prosperity and Performance (EPP) Committee which held a special meeting to review the Manydown decision.  There were 13 public speakers including SOLVE. The Manydown Company’s representative gave a presentation which amongst other things repeated their view that the Manydown land is, and has always been, available.

The committee referred questions of governance to the ‘Audit Governance and Accounts Committee’ which next meets on 27th February.  A Liberal Democrat request for a second legal opinion was voted down.  The proposer said - “Who would oppose a second opinion unless they were afraid of what it might uncover?”  There was a lively debate with questions from opposition Councillors.  However, this was made one-sided due to the absence of the regular Chairman and Vice Chairman and some Conservative members.  Opposition questions and comments were answered on a superficial level by the Officers with very little input from the ‘substitute’ Conservatives.  It was clear that the Conservative ‘substitutes’ were there to make up the numbers to use their majority to vote through a pre-arranged motion.

Press Release

SOLVE & COUNTRY WATCH BEGIN LEGAL PROCEEDINGS CLAIMING BASINSGTOKE & DEANE BOROUGH COUNCIL (BDBC) HAVE “ACTED UNLAWFULLY” by excluding Manydown from the core strategy.

SOLVE & Country Watch, supported by communities from the north, east & south of the Borough, today gave notice to the Officers’ & Administration of BDBC of their intent to instigate a Judicial Review if Manydown is not included in the Core Strategy being submitted for public consultation. This extended group of community organisations representing over 20,000 Residents have retained the Counsel of leading London law firm DAC Beachcroft and their Public law Consultant Tony Child, who is recognised nationally as a leading legal expert in Judicial Reviews of this kind (http://www.dacbeachcroft.com/people/directory/tony_child.htm).

Read on - EPP meeting and Secretary of State ruling

Manydown Company Bombshell hits the Cabinet.

Conservatives suspend Councillor Cubitt - Read on.

“Manydown Land is Available for Development.” so says the Manydown Company, freeholder owners of the land

Residents that packed the Council Chamber recently were shocked to hear that despite claims by the Council to the contrary; the owners of the land called Manydown stated explicitly “on the record that there is no obstacle to the development to the Manydown land as far as management or ownership structure is concerned”.

This confirms what SOLVE’s more than 1500 supporters and thousands of other residents around Basingstoke believe; that the Council is not being fair or balanced in the way they evaluate the suitability of greenfield sites for development.

SOLVE Report – What’s going on?

The meeting of the Council’s P&IOSCOM stretched over three evenings 20th- 23rd Sept. Under scrutiny was the Officers’ report for the ‘LDF (Local Development Framework) Core Strategy Housing Sites and Distribution’. This includes the controversial recommendation to build 4,000 houses on Greenfield sites.

Please read on for more - - -