It was good to see so many members of the Radcliffe on Trent community participate in the 'public consultation' with William Davis Ltd. on the 18th July 2013. Like all good public speakers, William Davis Ltd. put on a good show about their plans and how they intend to be sympathetic to the needs of the village. It was also reassuring to hear how many of you held them to account on a whole host of issues that will have an impact upon our village community in Radcliffe on Trent. However, as a community we need to be wary of such 'public consultations' for the reasons outlined below.
Part of the strategy for holding such 'public consultations' as the one held recently by William Davis Ltd. is to ensure that that they have fulfilled some of the initial stages of community consultation in order to place them in a more favourable position to gain planning permission. So, in speaking with us, and holding sessions such as this, when they put their application in they can state how they have consulted with the community, and will then look at some of the concerns raised to see how they can address them in order to gain planning permission. Do not be fooled.
In addition, while giving us an opportunity to complete their 'Public Exhibition Questionnaire', part of the rationale behind this is to garner opinion so that they can recognise where the points of conflict are so that they can be addressed in a way that makes it more likely for them to gain planning permission, but also to allow you let of steam and complain while you are angry.
This has two significant results; i) you feel as though you have had your say on the matter and that your concerns will be listened to and ii) it helps in generating survey fatigue in members of the community. The direct impact here is that when Rushcliffe Borough Council begin their own public consultation, which is the one that really matters as they are the decision-makers, the Radcliffe on Trent community will feel as though they have already had their say and so not bother to register their concerns with Rushcliffe Borough Council.
So what do we do?
By all means complete the William Davis Ltd.'s 'Public Exhibition Questionnaire' (available below) and make your concerns about the plans to build on our greenbelt very clear, however do be aware that this information will be used by William Davis Ltd. to develop their application for planning permission. The only people who will see your comments will be William Davis Ltd. However, it is our recommendation that you see this as a rehearsal for the complains that we will need to put in to Rushcliffe Borough Council. So by all means complete the form below and return it via the methods outlined on the form. The deadline for this is 1st August 2013.
A copy of this can be down loaded for completion by clicking on the link above.
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