A BOROUGH council has been slammed over its local plan after facing dozens of objections.

As previously reported the Planning Inspectorate turned down plans for 5,200 homes near ancient woodland between Bishopstoke and Fair Oak within Eastleigh Borough Council’ s Local Plan.

Now Richard Izard and Maggie Hill, chair and vice chair of Colden Common Parish Council respectively, have written an open letter to council leader Cllr Keith House.

They say the plan was “questioned rigorously and found wanting in so many respects”.

The councillors are also unhappy with how the borough is dealing with feedback from a planning inspector who raised concern over two of the draft options.

In a letter to Cllr House they said: “I was so glad to see that the inspector has instructed you to remove Options B and C from your proposed Local Plan for Eastleigh Borough Council.

“She has obviously listened very carefully to the many objections that were raised at the Inquiry and shares our view that such development and the building of the new road was not justified. It would also have wreaked immeasurable damage on Colden Common’s community and surrounding landscape.

“Throughout the whole Inquiry your proposed Local Plan was questioned rigorously and found wanting in so many respects. The evidence base was weak and it was frequently embarrassing to have to witness the discomfiture of the borough council’s team as again and again they struggled to answer the inspector’s questions coherently.

“You have had a clear direction from the Inspector to remove Options B and C from your proposed plan. However, to my amazement, you have tried to present this fact on your website as an indication of the Inspector’s approval.

“There must surely be a critical distinction between putting a positive spin on events and completely misrepresenting the facts, as you have done. This has severely damaged the credibility of Eastleigh Borough Council.”

The Chronicle contacted Eastleigh Borough Council for a response to the letter.

A communication officer for the borough council sent over Cllr Keith House’s letter to MP Paul Holmes, who also raised concerns.

It said: “I note that your own position is that, in the light of the inspectors’ letter, the council should “scrap the current plan” and “go back to the drawing board”.

“With the greatest of respect, however, the inspector has advised precisely the opposite.

“It provides a clear way forward to enable the local plan to be adopted so as to guide the council’s planning decisions in a plan-led system, which has been the council’s principal objective in developing its local plan.”