Southbourne parish council slam 'undemocratic' Chichester District local plan consultation

In a statement released last week, members said the consultation’s response submission system was ‘restrictive, complicated and time-consuming’, severely restricting the honesty with which residents could feedback on the plan’s latest additions.

"This consultation process was essentially undemocratic” they said, adding: “On-line responses were heavily favoured and required significant computer skills. While responses on paper were accepted it was difficult to find out how this could be done. Residents were limited to only three reasons for objecting – legal compliance, soundness and duty to cooperate, not easy categories for residents to interpret. Lengthy submissions required additional summaries of no more than 100 words, and only four supporting documents could be attached.”

Since the introduction of the previous local plan in 2015, councillors said, 410 new properties were completed by 2022, with 450 more homes pending planning permission and another 252 under construction. This, they claim, exacerbates existing issues with ‘overstretched’ schools, roads and infrastructure.

"How can Chichester District Council expect support from local communities (...) if they disregard concerns about the current situation in terms of totally inadequate infrastructure?” the statement asks.

A spokesperson for Chichester District Council said this stage of the consultation was very specific and asked resident to consider a series of very specific questions – hence the limited scope of the questions provided. This part of the consultation process, known as Regulation 19, is compulsory and typically takes place before plans are submitted to the inspectorate for examination.

Residents are asked a series of specific questions about the plan in order to give officers access to the most relevant features possible. Questions included: if the plan has met the legal requirements; if it has been positively prepared and is justified, effective and consistent with national policy; and if the council has engaged and worked effectively with neighbouring authorities and statutory bodies

The spokesperson went on to make clear that resources and support were available to those who wished to participate in the consultation, but did not feel they had access to the right digital tools.

"People were given the option to complete this process online; use computers at our East Pallant House offices where they could access help; or by accessing a paper copy of the response form by phoning or emailing our offices or popping into see us,” a Chichester District Council spokesperson said. “We also produced a step-by-step guide on how to complete the consultation online and we produced a detailed overview document, which also provided the various ways that people could have their say, which went to every parish council and was shared through our communication channels.”

The plan identifies development areas for economic growth across Chichester for the next fifteen years and the consultation closed on March 19. No it is complete, resident’s comments have been packaged with the final version of the local plan and sent to the planning inspectorate for consideration.

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