4:03pm Wednesday 24th June 2009
SIR — Whilst it triggered a sigh, it came as no great surprise to read David Atwell’s letter (Chronicle, June 11) advocating the Barton Farm proposals.
Mr Atwell has extensive experience of controversial planning decisions from his time as chair of the Winchester planning committee for development control.
If I may refresh your readers’ memory of some events just a few years ago in the heart of the city, which were covered extensively by the Chronicle.
Some friends and I arranged a petition in The Square offering residents of and visitors to the city the option to either support or oppose the development which is now Mozzetta.
If you stand near the Cathedral and look towards the Hambledon, you can’t miss its grey steel exoskeleton looming above the clay tiles like a scuppered oil rig.
This assault on the eye and our city happened despite promises during the planning process that the building would not be visible from Cathedral Square.
The more salient point, and the reason I think I at least have some authority to write about this, is that we collected 600 signatures against the proposed development, only limited to this number by the time we had available to us.
Two people voted in favour. There were also an unprecedented number of formal objections to the plan, and yet the building went up.
Mr Atwell alludes to the silent majority who want Barton Farm.
This is fantasy, and I challenge Mr Atwell to devise, arrange and fund a balanced and fair survey of Winchester residents and publish the results before deciding for us what we think about Barton Farm or anything else.
The whole experience with Mozzetta demonstrated that the blood, sweat and tears of residents does little to move the planners.
The most effective tactic I have seen employed is to vote offending councillors on the planning committee out of their seats.
Michael Le Brocq, St Clements Street, Winchester.
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