What is happening with our council's monitoring of empty properties, often rapidly becoming derelict and the development of brown field sites? I am no legal expert in property and planning laws, but I cannot believe the incompetence of our councillors and local officers in relation to ensuring projects are delivered to plan in a timely fashion, as well as providing essential affordable and social housing as part of the developments. I realise we need more family housing and indeed some need to be on green field sites. Surely, it makes sense to support the development of empty, unused properties or sites first and importantly not let profiteering developers sit on sites like Brewers Quay, until they can hold the council to ransom, threatening to walk away if they cannot maximise their profits. How many times have we seen developers get amendment to planning, delivering no affordable housing at all? Compulsory purchase has to be the answer - use it or lose it, possibly selling on sites at cost to local developers with project stipulations and that goes for commercial premises with unused flats as part of the premises or empty properties with absentee landlords.

Finally, we don't need any more new build restaurants in town as part of schemes. There are plenty of empty existing sites. Commercial rents in Weymouth have become unsustainable, especially when business rates are included. Turn the proposed retail elements of new build plans into housing, there is no need for more low paid seasonal jobs, as there are plenty of vacancies and nowhere for these people to afford to live anyway.

Hugh Judd

Ullswater Crescent

WEymouth