Just wanted to up date you on developments  in Harborough – on Monday night (23rd) i managed to write a successful motion that won the vote.  It has some important points on the Co-op’s Eco-Town- and this will hopefully be the one of the final nails in the coffin

The motion said:

“That this Council following a request for clarification from the Rural East Have Your Say meeting:

1. welcomes the decision by the Government not to shortlist the Co-Op’s Pennbury Eco-town near Stoughton in the first wave of sites in England
2. notes the reasons why Pennbury failed to meet the Government’s criteria reflects the concerns raised by Harborough District Council during two consultation exercises
3. notes that the Chief Executive has recently advised the Department of Communities and Local Government that the opportunity to bid for support for studies of further locations was discussed at the Housing, Planning and Infrastructure Group. This group comprises of representatives from all authorities in Leicester and Leicestershire. The outcome of the discussion was that we would not be making a bid for support. Accordingly no further work is planned to be undertaken by the Council at this time.
4. acknowledges that the decision to formally withdraw the bid is a matter for the Co-op not the Council
5. believes that the issue of housing development is best decided at a local level by democratically elected local authorities. “