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Quote: Inflatable_Armadillo "Firstly, thanks to all those that came this evening, we estimate maybe 100+ people in the room... it was packed anyway!

The planning policy team are now recommending to council that 51ha of land at Newmarket should be re-designated as employment zone for Distribution & Storage units (Bicon_cool.gif from the previous 33ha. They have decided to take 9ha from Cutsyke, Glasshoughton and put houses on this site instead, as they felt it not as suitable for storage units. The other addition 9ha has been given to Newmarket with a of what is most easily described as moving a few bits over to housing and other uses in other area and also the need to plan now (because of a delay in the LDF process) for a bit more space anyway!

THE GREAT NEWS is that current proposal for the distribution & storage units in the current application is just over 50ha, which means that the policy team think Newmarket is the best possible site to deliver the major part of the legally required 95ha and it means that the units current planned in this application are covered by this proposal to to take this amount of space out of Green Belt. This might seem small and technical but it is huge and a huge indication from the council about this site. They are putting two fingers up to Mr Pickles!

Before you ask, no, it not guaranteed that the LDF will be passed by government but if before it was highly likely, it now looks extremely likely and they just can't say we don't like that site, they have to find a better one and recommend Wakefield use that... the good news is that, there does not appear to be one! The SoS have made a rather odd situation for themselves, it is they who told Wakefield to provide more space for warehousing but have called in an application on a site that the planning policy team (and they are the real experts) are even more heavily backing as the most suitable site. This my friends is called.... joined up government... NOT!

It also does somewhat appear to throw a rather large spanner in the current public inquiry as well. The planning inspector can not ignore the fact that another independent public inquiry is recommending this be used and they are holding another public inquiry to decide if this land can be used... if you know what I mean! Because this is a fairly unique set of circumstances we don't know what will happen! However, while this makes planning permission for the development, including the ground ever more likely, it does not speed things up (but you never know) and might even slow them down a bit (only a few months though). Sorry! To be fair that boat sailed on the 13th Dec.

So what happens next! We send the Statements of Support in to the the planning inspector and recommend he sends the application back to Wakefield without holding an inquiry (which he can do if he wishes) but we think that unlikely! We think some sort of inquiry will happen but how and when we don't know, or he holds this up until March 2012 (or sooner) for the LDf to be ratified, if it is a PI is not required and everyone is happy. We just don't know!

Right bed, up early to drive to Stowmarket in the morning!'"

IA you are right they do seem to have backed themselves into a corner. And as you keep telling us the previous government and their officers have made Wakefield find 95ha for warehousing, and and all the facts seem to suggest this was a tall order with the limited amount of land available to do this. So perhaps THIS government and its officers will help Wakefield with the burden and Lower the amount of land required for Warehousing.

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