WELL we now know why the Forest of Dean Council really didn't want a public appeal for the site on Beachley Road between Tutshill and Sedbury, and why they've refused to defend one at Allaston.  The planners working in Forest of Dean Council have for years muddled along and those chickens have come well and truly home to roost.

Apparently over the last 23 years, they have failed to meet government targets for 21 of them.  The complacency shown is unbelievable.  I feel they thought they were indestructible.  As a result of this, the Forest of Dean is really at threat of being concreted over.

To try and cover up something they were fully aware of, that their five-year land supply was really only just over 3.7 years by the amateur technique of non-disclosure of the email confirming this was childish. 

Yet this referred to a site they had permitted to reduce the affordable/social housing allocation by two thirds.

Didn't they think to check that it had a developer at that point? 

Landbanking is really rife in the Forest and this will now increase.  The council is obliged by government quotas to build a certain amount of houses per year.  They should be ensuring they are built and not just banked in the hope that house prices will increase and make the site profitable.

If someone wants to build one house or a local builder wishes to build a small group i.e. five to 10 houses they have to jump through so many hoops.  Yet a developer can get 120 houses passed on unsuitable land in an unsuitable location because of the incompetence of the Forest of Dean Council planning department.

Monmouthshire County Council does not come out of this smelling of roses either.  Oh yes, it objected on AQMA (air quality management area) grounds but in the next breath they are responding to the allocations plan stating they'd rather have housing in Tutshill/Sedbury than Lydney as people can commute easily from there and could they have more parking spaces at the railway station to accommodate this. 

Precisely where these spaces would be put is a moot point and of course, there is a railway station in Lydney as well.

Did they really think the Inspector didn't read all documents?

Of course Monmouthshire County Council would not attend the appeal. 

It is not in a position to do so having granted permission for housing at the old Dendix site and allocating the Mabey site for redevelopment as housing too.  Both sites are towards the English side of the AQMA resulting in more commuters driving up through it. 

I'm sure in the planning application everyone will be commuting by train from there too.

They are quick to threaten that HGVs will be banned yet they are responsible for some of the problems too.

I can't wait for the excuses to flow out of Forest of Dean Council HQ.  Hallowe'en has just gone, but the horror story remains.

– K. Harris, by e-mail.