Planning seems riven by division
TWO seats on the Development & Planning Authority should be filled today. One thing seems clear – the newcomers will be joining a divided committee.
The authority is unlikely to ever be loved, given the nature of its challenging job and quasi-judicial role. So members may struggle to win popularity contests, and the DPA appears to have its own challenge to overcome – an internal divide so evident at Monday’s open planning meeting.
While one seat on the DPA was left vacant by Bob Murray as he moved, on apparently good terms to P&R, the same cannot be said for outgoing vice-president Andrew Taylor. He has indicated conflicts of interest within the authority in his resignation letter and will depart today for good. A statement to the States today is expected to include fireworks.
Monday's three-hour meeting saw sparks fly between president Victoria Oliver and members. She tried and failed to persuade Deputy Taylor and colleague Sasha Kazantseva-Miller that a viability report for Briarwood was valid. A chat behind closed doors to salvage an approval from the dissenters, with conditions to alleviate their concerns, failed.
And if internal divides were not enough, a full review of the Island Development Plan and the controversial GP11 affordable housing policy also needs to be completed by 2025.