Objections to plan flood in (From Stroud News and Journal)

Objections to plan flood in

MORE than 500 objections have been lodged against Stroud District Council's local plan.

Around 400 objection flooded in just before Monday's deadline.

The last minute flurry is now expected to delay the public viewing by two weeks.

Since the SNJ report on the plan last week, around 200 were received on Friday and another 200 on Monday.

The majority were objecting to last minute changes which included Nailsworth, Stonehouse, Thrupp, Brimscombe and Woodchester in the Stroud urban area.

All the town and parish councils in these areas have objected to the plan, and many residents have expressed concerns.

Last week, planning officer Peter Gilbert said getting the plan adopted was a priority.

Cllr Bill Affleck, chairman of Nailsworth Town Council's planning committee, said: "I think a lot depends on what pressure they are under from higher authorities.

"They are supposed to be working on the next generation of the plan by now.

"The consultation process has raised a lot of eyebrows.

"The first we heard about it was it an article in the SNJ."

"We have had district councillors coming to our meetings for three months and none of them have brought up the amendments."

The district said the description of the urban area does not make sites more or less vulnerable to development, and is simply an acknowledgement of the relationship between settlements.

Cllr Barbara Tate, Stroud District Council's cabinet member for planning, said: "When the local plan is adopted we will have a robust strategy in place to protect green field sites from development.

"It is critical to have an adopted Local Plan so that the very areas that are perceived to be at risk can actually be better protected."