THE ALTON society has launched a withering attack on the planning system for ‘failing’ the people of the town.

Chairman David Simpkins says the plans for the former magistrates’ court highlighted the shortcomings.

In a special report to the Herald, he said: “While we are all enduring the current lockdown, we have an opportunity to stand back and ponder the changes going on in our town – and in particular the massive long-term adverse impact on Alton and its community of ill-considered, unsympathetic and short-sighted developments in and around the town.

“The recently-published minutes of the March 12 East Hampshire District Council planning meeting make for depressing reading.

“The approved plans for the magistrates’ court site are just the latest evidence of a planning system not fit for purpose; a planning infrastructure that works consistently against the interest of Alton as a town, and its community.

“This prominent town-centre site had offered exciting possibilities for a landmark development that Alton could be proud of.

“Instead of which, what have we got? Yet another bland block of retirement flats, extremely cramped, unsympathetic to its location, and lacking the most basic requirements – adequate living space, visitor parking, affordable homes for local people.

“Were committee members told Renaissance Homes withdrew their earlier application because they could not comply with planning officers’ demands for 40 per cent affordable homes on site?

“What has changed, apart from the urgency to get the plans approved because of long delays, and the fear of appeal?

“The nature of the discussions in committee increasingly give the impression councillors are deferring to advice from senior planning officers by default, instead of representing the interests of those they are there to serve.

“As it happens, the McCarthy & Stone vote was very close – seven for approval and five against, and we would like to thank the five members who stood up for Alton in refusing to accept the plans as they stood – councillors Burns, Langley, Louisson, Thomas and Schillemore.

“As far as the majority are concerned, we can only conclude they know little about Alton, rarely if ever visit the town, and care about it even less.

“It’s significant that only a handful of committee members attended the site visit the week before.

“On the question of design, we agree entirely with the Alton Town Council that the bulk, mass and scale of the proposals in the context of the surroundings should have rendered these plans unacceptable.

“And in the absence of clear graphic illustrations, and with some misleading elevations, we would question whether the committee were given the opportunity to understand the detail, and the effect on the Alton community of the matters in front of them

“Some councillors must be called to account on their apparent unquestioning acceptance of advice from the council’s planning officers – a sad example is the view expressed by committee members over internal space, then being countered by the case officer “acknowledging that... while the smaller units were below the floorspace standard, when looked at in detail, they provided a reasonable standard of living,” with no clear basis for such an assertion.

“It is impossible to draw any other conclusion but that there is an imperative to vote for approval with a minimum of examination of meaningful objections outlined in complete good faith and to protect Alton, its community and its legacy.

“Clearly, the priority is simply to get the plans through with minimum fuss.

“It is no coincidence that most of the major applications to come to committee in recent years have been approved first time. Rarely are they deferred for other than very minor amendments.

“In fact, at Will Hall Farm, Redrow Homes came back time and time again with a succession of changes – each one representing a further worsening of the scheme’s appearance, but none of them coming to committee, and none being seriously challenged.

“When considering locations and context, little regard is given to the Alton Town Design Statement or the Neighbourhood Plan.

“Alton’s history and character is unique. This is recognised by the district council’s plans to make Alton a ‘go-to destination’ for visitors.

“However, opportunities to add to our appeal have been squandered by allowing sites such as the magistrates court and the Coors Brewery to become another ‘any town’ housing development.

“The planners are simply not standing up to the bland and boring designs of developers.

“Moreover, the conservation area revisions developed more than two years ago have never been published, despite numerous requests – another example of the council’s neglect of our town.

“Perhaps most alarming of all is the failure to build housing for the future.

“Again, we share the town council’s concerns that the Future Homes consultation makes clear the government’s intention to avoid having to retrofit new homes later, with interim regulations due as early as this year.

“And so, we repeat – it seems ludicrously short-sighted to be giving approval for buildings that will be obsolete by the time they are built.

“Another fundamental issue is the ‘democratic deficit’, manifested in the woefully inadequate representation (only two committee members out of 12 are Alton councillors), the fact that such important decisions affecting Alton are made in Petersfield, and agendas being published at no more than one week’s notice.

“This is as disrespectful to Alton as it is undemocratic.

“The time has come to demand answers to the following points. Only by addressing these can we create a more meaningful and constructive working relationship between Alton and its community and the council:

n When are we going to see a more transparent system of decision-making? Local applications should be decided in Alton, by elected representatives with local knowledge and a stake in the town’s future.

* Why is the planning authority so determined to ride roughshod over the Joint Core Strategy, Neighbourhood Plan and Alton Town Design Statement, and will we ever see it take ownership of its own policies?

* What will it take for Alton to escape from the bland, mediocrity being imposed on us by poor design, and when will EHDC embrace the benefit of Design Review Panels?

* If the council hasn’t the will to start refusing plans that are unsustainable, does EHDC’s climate emergency have any meaning?

* And who is going to bear the cost of huge amounts of retrofitting that will be necessary to meet our national zero carbon targets?

* Finally, where is the courage to articulate any vision for our town? Where are the aspirations for our future environment?”