Dave

Following the decision to call in the Gateway application what is the status of Section 5.5 in the Revised Development Strategy in the Draft Local Plan? This makes specific reference to the Gateway, though does state that the planning application has yet to be determined.

It seems to me that it is no purpose of the Local Plan to anticipate or favour specific applications and particularly speculative commercial ones in the Green Belt. If it is intended that land in the Green Belt should be reallocated for employment or similar uses then it should logically be proposed for removal from the Green Belt and re-designation in the same way as has been done for housing in Kenilworth and Lillington. This will require detailed justification in the same way with a detailed map showing the exact area involved. Leaving the area in the Green Belt until completion would mean applying Green Belt policies which would ultimately be irrelevant and indicates a lack of conviction. If removal cannot be justified at the start then the site must be unsuitable and to consider it as a strategic sub-regional site makes no sense at all.

I therefore OBJECT to Section 5.5 in total and RD8 in particular.