As chair of the Winchester City Council’s planning committee, I do not as a rule comment on articles or letters in your pages. 

However, the letter in last week’s Chronicle from Conservative group leader councillor Caroline Horrill does require a response.

As one of the Liberal Democrat councillors who voted in favour of development at Dyson Drive, I was very disappointed by Cllr Horrill’s letter. 

She failed to note that the only councillors who voted for the application were Liberal Democrats, that all the Conservative councillors on the committee voted against, and that if the Conservative councillors had voted in favour, the application would have been approved.

Since the Liberal Democrats took control, more council houses have been built than in the previous eight years under the Conservatives. 

Councillor Horrill is entitled to her own views. But she is not entitled to ignore inconvenient facts.

I would add that the vote did demonstrate beyond a shadow of doubt that the decisions of the planning committee are made on our interpretation of the council’s planning policies alone, untarnished by any other considerations.
 
Jane Rutter,
Chair, Winchester City Council planning committee,
Liberal Democrat representing The Worthys

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