Comments from Councillor Martin Fisher

Thank you for your email and various attachments concerning the green belt and our core strategy. As you appreciate I was already aware of these developments and indeed I am very concerned about the issues you have raised and agree with your key points. Please be assured that the Ward Councillors for Oxted, The TDC Chief Executive, Director of Planning and our MP Peter Ainsworth have been working hard on the best approach to these worrying developments.

There is no doubt in my mind that the developers are attempting to use the Core Strategy review to attack the green belt and get the two target sites in Oxted on the agenda which linked to the Government Inspector's challenge to the core strategy in relation to 'windfall sites' presents a very serious threat to Oxted.

My own view is that we should robustly protect the Green Belt and the character of the area from these developments encouraged by Central Government house building targets. In addition there is clearly a lack of infrastructure to deal with such large housing developments particularly in relations to highways, school and local health provision.

In spite of Central Government claiming that there should be local accountability their actions are totally at variance with this as they take insidious control on issues such as housing and waste management. Then to add insult to injury they gave Tandridge District Council a whole 0.6% increase in grant this year (which accounts for 38% of our net expenditure) so effectively starve us of financial resource as they have done with Surrey Police and Surrey County Council.

Regards
Martin fisher