SOUTHEND Council’s development control committee will still make the final decision on the Southend Airport expansion plans.
A bid by the Liberal Democrat group to get any recommendation by the committee debated by the full council, which would then make the final decision, was defeated at last Thursday’s full Southend Council meeting by 30 votes to 16, with two abstentions.
The application to extend the runway will be debated as scheduled by the development control committee late in January at a special meeting – provided, of course, the Government beforehand does not call in the application.
West Leigh Coun Nigel Holdcroft, leader of the council ,said he would have had more sympathy with the Liberal Democrat motion had it been put forward immediately the planning application was submitted.
The problem with leaving it late in the day, as they had done, was that a number of councillors, who were not members of the development control committee had barred themselves from taking part in any debate by making comments on the application, which could be defined as pre-judging the application.
Under Government legislation once a councillor speaks in favour of or against an application in public they cannot then take part in a council debate.
Coun Holdcroft also explained that another reason why it was best left to the development control committee was because its members had received special training in dealing with complex planning issues.
He felt the motion to refer the application to full council was a ‘cheap political stunt’ by the Lib Dems because their leader, Coun Graham Longley had not discussed the motion either with himself, other group leaders or the town clerk, Rob Tinlin.
“I would have been more sympathetic had he followed that process,” he said.
Coun Martin Terry, leader of the Independent group, said he could not support the motion either because of ‘moving the goalposts’ halfway through the planning process.
Coun David Norman, leader of the Labour group, said they supported the motion because they had always been against the change in the council’s constitution that prevented important planning issues being referred to full council.
Coun Longley said his motion was all about restoring democracy to the town by giving the council back the right to make the final decision on this particular important planning application.
“It is about ensuring that members are able to represent the residents and express their views over a matter which affects the economic regeneration of our town,” he continued.
“It is about not leaving such a major decision to as few as just nine members – a majority of the development control committee.
“When it comes to applications of the significance of this one then surely it should take responsibility as a whole – as does the Rochford District Council.
“A number of recent applications could and should have been brought before this council – Roots Hall and the new football ground, the seafront and the Pier.”
He maintained that it was wrong, for example, that a ward like Eastwood Park, directly affected by the runway extension would not have a voice on the committee, because none of their three councillors were members [of the development control committee].