People have no power to stop developments

We see our planners are at it again with a draft plan to develop 17 new homes on an agricultural field on the corner of Tertre Lane.

Here we go again.

It’s beyond belief that once again we see the words ‘agricultural land’ being used. I thought that agricultural meant no way allowed to build on.

As a St Martin’s person, I sympathise with the Vale parish, but beware of the advice given that islanders can comment on this latest planning brief by emailing planning@gov.gg or by writing to the authority.

What a complete waste of time and effort. Look what happened in St Martin’s over the last two years at the Les Blanches site development by Island Development Ltd building company.

We had two appeal committees turn down this application after thousands of people objected and yet the building company appealed a third time and three unelected people, one even from Jersey, gave permission to go ahead.

This really defeats the idea of any objections being put forward by the public. It’s a complete joke.

It’s the power of land and money and greed that wins in the end over logic.

We see at last, due to what happened with the Les Blanches appeal decision, the States are going to review these systems as they are at present.

The States now doing this proves that in the past these tribunal decisions were really not about democracy, when even politicians quote that the decision by this tribunal was ‘perverse’ and that it brings the political process into question that electoral representatives of the States were overruled by non-elected members of the tribunal.

The whole Les Blanches issue needs to be looked at again and the public and elected politicians be allowed to appeal against that third decision.

Best of luck to the rest of the island parishes fighting to stop developments in their parishes.

R. S. MAUGER,

Valletta,

Rue des Frieteaux,

St Martin’s,

GY4 6XA.