I WISH to congratulate the unknown person who wrote such devastating observations on the planning process of the Dean District Council.

I was flattered to be described in the Review a week ago as a 'leading district councillor' some 10 years ago.

When I was elected to the council my party leader asked me if I would like to be nominated for the planning committee.

I had just read a training manual which declared that if an appeal against a planning decision was made the Inspector could be expected to support the recommendation of the professional planning officer should this differ from elected councillors.

This seemed to me that in a controversy my judgement was worthless. So I declined the empty chalice.

At the same time I was noisy about the Local Plan that would lead when implemented over a five-year period to building 2,000 new homes in and around Lydney.

This would mean around 7,000 more people, about 3,000 more cars and there were no plans to increase the infrastructure with regard to education, surgeries, parking, or transport.

Most important was the fact that the newcomers would not be able to find jobs locally. I sent my objections to the local press and I distributed my thoughts to all my council colleagues in a letter.

The Local Plan had been developed by the Labour group to which I belonged and they were furious at my indiscipline.

They believed that the houses were desperately needed and that they would, in some mysterious way, attract new jobs.

They were in most respects good colleagues but I did not like being shouted at, so I went away and resigned from the Labour group.

The main developer rang me at home and said that he would like to meet me to discuss the situation.

The day before this appointment an underling phoned me and said that the meeting would have to be postponed due to the stomach problems of his boss.

It seems that these were serious as I have not heard from him for the 10 years since.

An additional plan came out which, if approved, would create an industrial estate of over 30 buildings on the river side of the Lydney bypass.

These would create 1,431 new jobs according to the leader of the council. This stimulated me to request oversight of the planning file to investigate how such a precise number had been arrived at.

I discovered that the number had no substance and had been produced on a document from the main contractor for the development. I'm still waiting to see this magical estate. I requested an interview with Diana Organ who was our Labour MP. I outlined my concerns about this project and she commented that the houses would be an attraction to downsizing Brummies.

I also raised with Diana the policy of the Regional Development Agency. In chapter seven they argued to me, convincingly, that such large developments should be sited in urban localities such as Gloucester where they were most able to cope with large increases in population. I had already learned from a member of the county planning committee that Gloucester could cope with up to 10,000 new housing units.

I felt sorry for Diana she had to choose between some of the most active members of the party vital to any chance of re-election and myself by intervening at a higher level.

The truth is that land is much cheaper to buy around the Forest than anywhere else and the profits to be made are thus greater.

Democracy, consideration for the wishes and the best interest of you and I does not exist when it comes to planning decisions.

– Roger Horsfield, Bream.