14 August 2007
Massive response to Issue and Options consultation
Wealden District Council has received some 11,000 responses to its Issues and Options consultation which asked residents and other interest groups to give their views on how they would like to see the district develop over the next 20 years.
“We are very pleased to see such a massive response to this important consultation. It shows how much the people of Wealden care about the future of this area,” said Councillor Keith Whitehead, Cabinet member for Planning and Development.
“It has been particularly encouraging to see how many people have made full use of internet technology, with over 10,000 of the responses having been made directly via our website. By using new technology, the Council can process all this information more efficiently which helps keep costs down for council tax payers.
“Given the outstanding levels of response, it may take longer than we first expected to carefully consider and assess the responses but I hope to able to give an update on progress at the end of September. I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the consultation process, including officers and councillors that have attended numerous public events in the evenings and at the weekend to help inform the debate.”
The Issues and Options Consultation will help formulate the Wealden Core Strategy, which outlines a long term development strategy for the district. This will be put forward for further consultation in 2008, before being subject to an examination by an Independent Planning Inspector.
“It is unlikely that many other planning authorities have received such high levels of response to an Issues and Options consultation for their LDF,” said Mike Fleming, the Council’s Environmental Services Director. “It will mean we will need to review our arrangements for managing the task but we must take advantage of the fact that internet now makes it much easier for people to take part in these important discussions for the future of Wealden.”
