Conservatives and Liberal Democrats backed the draft Local Plan at 4 minutes to midnight last Tuesday night. The meeting lasted from 7 p.m. for just shy of five hours, with the first 90 minutes used by members of the public, who mostly were opposed to Garden Settlements on their own doorsteps near Great Chesterford, Little Easton/Great […]

I wrote to the local press today:- Something is wrong at the heart of Uttlesford District Council as it struggles to complete two major exercises that are important not only for this district. The first is a critically important Local Plan for the future of the district. If UDC does not publish an updated plan […]

I wrote the following article in March for the April edition of Stansted’s magazine The Link. The full article can be read here at page 22. NEWS FROM UTTLESFORD DISTRICT COUNCIL Cllr Alan Dean writes: The long-awaited planning application from the airport to raise the limit on passenger numbers was received by UDC in February. They […]

As a P.S. to my post of yesterday I provided a link to Stop Stansted Expansion’s press release and letter to the Secretary of State about Stansted Airport Limited’s (STAL) planning application for an increase in the airport’s capacity. The SSE letter provides some worrying allegations about the way in which Uttlesford District Council has been […]

The following press release as issued today (PDF): Uttlesford’s Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Alan Dean, says “Uttlesford must step up to the mark over airport expansion at Stansted. Its approach so far has been too laid back and opaque. UDC has given the impression that the airport’s application to have 43 million passengers a […]

Consensus or conflict? Take your pick from last Thursday’s Full Council Meeting at Uttlesford. There was near unanimity on the budget for 2018/19. A 2.99% council tax (CT) rise was agreed with little dissent, though I did tell the finance portfolio holder (who agreed) that there needs to be a clearer explanation, perhaps pictorially, of […]

I recently learned a new word; it’s never too late. Kakistocracy – a form of government in which the worst persons are in power. Least qualified. Unscrupulous. In my lifetime there have been three governments that have unscrupulously attempted to manipulate public opinion. Sir Anthony Eden’s in 1956 lied about the motivations behind the invasion […]

Let’s start this post with optimism – I will use my blog more often. Not quite a new year resolution; more a good intention. I started 2017 with the following:  Optimism comes from the belief that people will follow leaders who speak the truth and take the population with them, rather than seduce them with false promises that lead everyone into […]

The Army at Carver Barracks near Saffron Walden wants to create an 8-lane, 500m running track to supplement their existing sporting facilities. These are used at times by members of the public as well as by military personnel. Last Tuesday the Full Council meeting agreed to make a £500,000 grant towards the new facilities, which […]

A six weeks’ public consultation began yesterday, following Tuesday night’s council decision to approve the Draft Local Plan for publication. See a summary of the plan here.   UTTLESFORD COUNCIL MEETING 11TH JULY 2017 The following is what I said at the meeting: Tonight, I will be supporting the recommendation to start public consultation on […]