Reading of results is far from fair (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Reading of results is far from fair

8:36am Wednesday 11th January 2012 in Our View

It is only right that Bradford Council seeks the views of residents regarding Neighbourhood Development Plans, which can see contentious plans for new homes on green spaces, as with the recent consultation in Holme Wood and Tong.

It does seem curious, though, that the Council’s reading of the results of the local consultation appears to be at odds with the thoughts of some of those who are opposed to further development of the space in that area.

According to Bradford Council, 66 per cent of residents favoured the Council’s first option, which would see a smaller number of homes built on established housing land, while 16 per cent plumped for the second option, which paves the way for a much larger development in the green belt. Eighteen per cent favour no developments at all.

Based on the fact that 40 per cent of the 25 respondents who specified their home addresses as being on the Holme Wood estate supported the larger-scale development options, the Council calls this “a clear indication” that the second option is the preferred one.

Campaigners against widespread development in the wider area might disagree with this reading of the statistics. The fact is that more than 150 people out of 229 written responses opted for the smaller-scale development proposals.

There would probably be few objections to the Council’s claim that “nearly everyone agreed that the estate must be improved”, but saying that there was no clear view from respondents is not supported by the figures.

Seeking the views of residents is to be welcomed, but only if their concerns and comments are taken into account fairly and objectively.