Cllr Alan Dean

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Stansted North on Uttlesford District Council and former Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Learn more

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Archive for the ‘Planning’ Category

The following cross-opposition party press statement was issued this morning in response to populism turned to lies from Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) about their role in the recently ended appeal hearings into Uttlesford DC’s refusal of planning permission for growth of passengers, planes and pollution at Stansted Airport. The R4U fairy story can be read […]

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I had hoped to have a rest from blog posting and social media for the Christmas and New Year period. Unfortunately, a lack of transparency by the Council on Tuesday does justify a break from walking, reading, television, phone calls with family and sad self-isolation from that nasty virus. Well before Christmas, ten councillors from […]

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My To Everest or to spitefulness post last Monday has stirred up some reaction from the Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) party and its allies. They think I am acting bitterly and unfairly by challenging and criticising their handling of Uttlesford’s Local Plan since R4U were elected into office with an overwhelming majority in May 2019. But […]

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TO EVEREST OR TO SPITEFULNESS?

by Alan Dean on 5 October, 2020

Around four years ago, I visited New Earswick on the outskirts of York to see an early 20th century housing initiative by the Rowntree chocolate manufacturers. The aim then was to build quality housing for the people of the chocolate factory. One-hundred and twenty years on, Uttlesford District Council wanted until recently to bring the […]

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“Not me, guv!”

by Alan Dean on 30 August, 2020

That’s the sign one weekend commentator suggested Boris Johnson should have on his desk at No. 10. “Not me, I’m not responsible for what goes wrong.” That contrasts with US president Harry Truman’s actual desk-top sign “The buck stops here”. Even Conservative MPs are now speaking out against a Johnson cabinet of incompetent people whose […]

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The Saffron Walden Reporter newspaper took up my post of yesterday as its lead story this morning. See below or more clearly and with photos at this link.        

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In a statement this morning, Uttlesford Liberal Democrats have condemned the decision in April by the Council’s R4U administration to withdraw the emerging Local Plan. “It has backfired spectacularly on the district’s residents and environment. It’s a sign of panic that next Tuesday’s Local Plan Leadership Group meeting has been cancelled after the agenda was […]

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As I wrote in my previous post, that’s a recent newspaper article headline about the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings. I compared Johnsonian populism with Residents for Uttlesford’s local populism here in North-West Essex. For R4U, having a Council Corporate Deliver Plan of what they intend to achieve in the next three years […]

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I’ve not posted on my blog for some time. Here is some news – through the following press release – that, sadly, I would prefer not to have to give to readers. Uttlesford Liberal Democrats saddened by departure of Thaxted colleagues   “We are deeply saddened that our former colleagues from Thaxted and the Eastons, […]

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MONEY OR CARBON EMISSION REDUCTIONS?

by Alan Dean on 2 February, 2020

I was puzzled and concerned by an interview on BBC TV’s Look East evening bulletin last week. The interview was between the BBC’s Stewart White and Cllr John Lodge, the Leader of Uttlesford District Council. The news item reported on the district council’s planning committee’s refusal on January 24th of Stansted Airport’s application to raise […]

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