THE failure of Eastleigh Borough Council to produce an acceptable ‘Development Plan’ for the period 2011 to 2029 can surely be described as a dereliction of duty.

We are near the end of the year 2017, and it is still not in place.

I have a view as to why this statement can be justified.

By rights, the chief executive, the head of legal services, the senior finance officer and the Lib Dem leader of the council should have been focused on this plan as the priority project.

However, I believe this was not the case.

Their attention, resources, time and expense was instead focused on the redevelopment of the Ageas Bowl site, including the council-owned hotel.

It has been acknowledged by the chief executive that it was never envisaged that the process would be so problematic and excessively time consuming.

So, while under significant pressure to bring this upper/middle class vanity project to fruition, thereby rescuing Rose Bowl plc/ Hampshire Cricket from its financial difficulties, the more wide ranging requirements, for the benefit of all ordinary residents, was not given the attention that it needed.

Consequently, the essential plan that really should have been given priority in 2008/2009, was sidetracked .

And what a catastrophic effect this has had.

Just about any green patch/field is up for developers to take advantage of, and my word, don’t they know it!

The council’s pretend principle to protect ‘green/strategic gaps’ has been shown to be disingenuous, and consequently blown apart via the appeal court.

So now we are asked to believe that widening the approach roads to junction 8 of the M27 by a hundred metres or so, all problems experienced by local current commuters, let alone thousands of new ones imminently to come, will be resolved.

In the famous words of a kind of kindred spirit – “I don’t believe it!”

Johnny Martin

Hedge End