The Conservative MP for Hamble has accused Tory-run Hampshire County Council of abandoning residents and being “disingenuous” and “incompetent”.
An appeal was submitted by Cemex later last year after Hampshire County Council refused a planning application to extract 250,000 tons of sand and gravel a year at Hamble Airfield on the basis of flooding, impact on the highways network and effects on air quality.
On the first day of the appeal (Tuesday 1), the county council said that since all three reasons for refusal were overcome after Cemex presented further information, the council would not defend its position.
County council barrister Gwion Lewis KC said: “This is an unusual appeal in that it is no longer resisted by the county council as a relevant planning authority.
“The appellant [Cemex] and the county council are therefore agreed that planning permission should be granted for the planning proposal on the basis it complies with the extent development plan.”
He added that after the information was presented, the council as planning authority was “satisfied” that there were no remaining planning reasons for dismissing the appeal and advised Cemex and the planning inspectorate that it would not “need to defend” the reasons for refusal in the inquiry.
“The county council accepts that planning permission should be granted because the proposal complies with the development plan,” he stated.
At the meeting, Hamble Valley’s Conservative MP Paul Holmes said that with the swift change of Hampshire County Council, officers had to “pull the rug under resident’s feet”.
In a Facebook post, he went further. He said that both the leader of the council, Nick Adams-King, and the officers had told him that the council would be defending the position from the perspective of the highway.
However, in light of the county council declarations, he stated that the Hampshire administration abandoned Hamble Residents “down the river”.
He accused the council and officers of being “disingenuous” and “incompetent”.
Mr Holmes said: “No one was told, including members of the regulatory committee, that their decision as democratically elected councillors was not being defended at appeal.
“To say I’m angry is an understatement. You’ve been let down and abandoned by the county council, and I apologise.”
The leader of Hampshire County Council was approached for comment.
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