THIS letter is in reply to Cllr Harris’ letter about building 570 houses in Preston.

READ MORE: 'Call for more homes in Weymouth amid NIMBY concerns'

I believe I am “the resident” he refers to and he is welcome to use my name if indeed I am he!

Cllr Harris still does not explain the situation regarding his email (31 March 2023 to the Democracy Officer at Dorset Council) when local councillors said 500 new homes would be built in Preston.

The actual figure is 570 (480 around Brackendown/Budmouth and Wyke Oliver; 90 around the Lodmoor Old Tip, source: Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan) so shame on those who asked the Democracy Officer to prosecute these councillors. He declined to do so.

Then the Steering Group of the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan wrote to their advisory body Locality and Locality advised them to re-survey the 573 citizens who had had their views censured from the Plan.

Cllr Northam leading the Steering Group did not want to do this.

This is all set out in a rational way on my website www.weymouthneighbourhoodplandemocracy.org.uk

You will see that I take full personal responsibility for the website and it does not represent the editorial views of the Dorset Echo. I have stated facts from hundreds of pages of information released to me under Freedom of Information and quote from them.

Where I express an opinion in accordance with Defamation Laws it is clear that it is an opinion and not statement of fact.

READ MORE: 'Preston residents frustrated at neighbourhood plan'

My thrust has always been that I am one of the 573 disenfranchised people and I want the Neighbourhood Plan brought back into democratic conformity before it gets passed to Dorset for judgement.

It will be up to Dorset Planning down the road whether around 168 rented social housing units (480 x 50% “affordable” = 240 x 70% social renting (Bellway Homes draft figure) = 168 will be built.

The Steering Group have said that these disadvantaged people will be stranded high up on the downs far from transport and facilities.

It is council policy that cars should be avoided in favour of walking, cycling and public transport.

To the nearest bus stop at Charlbury Corner (elevation 13m then down to 11m in Wyke Oliver Road) it will be an extensive walk to their homes laterally and also they will have to effectively climb a 12-storey building (site elevation to 45m).

Would we expect socially deprived people to climb a tower block without a lift? So much for council policy.

Cllr Harris will be aware that “Nimbyism” is not a valid planning objection and I am sure that Dorset Planning will refuse permission, as they have done multiple times in the past when the farmer, Mr Jauncey, applied, because of the same, multiple, valid planning reasons and not just because 100 houses on Brackendown Avenue and Budmouth Avenue might be Nimbies.

The Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan is being abused and the “lay” members on the Steering Group should recognise this.

Bellway Homes summed it up succinctly with their written comment in August 2023: “Achieving early delivery via the neighbourhood planning process”. Long live Freedom of Information! Long live Democracy!

On which subject, there is so much information not made available to the public concerning the Neighbourhood Plan and I came across a document: “Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan Character Area Assessment draft 31.03.21”.

Weymouth Town Council today refused Freedom of Information to my request “All reports and information of whatever kind prepared regarding the WNP which has not been included on the WNP/WTC website”.

They cited “section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, and regulations made under section 12”.

Glenn van der Pas

Weymouth