THE officers in Forest Heath Council's planning department are out of step with the residents of Newmarket.
As CEO of FHDC, we urge you to instruct the planning officers to start to act in the best interests of our historic town.
The most recent example of the council not acting appropriately concerns the stark and ugly building proposed to house the M
ajestic Wine warehouse at the Newmarket Clock Tower site.
In April, Forest Heath's elected councillors voted to defer granting planning permission for this building on the basis that they were minded to refuse permission as, amongst other reasons, it was out of keeping with the town.
Following this decision, representatives from Majestic Wine informed the Save Historic Newmarket Action Group that they had only submitted this style of building because council officers had told them it was what they required.
All along, they claimed they would have been happy to submit plans for a more in-keeping building.
At a planning meeting earlier this month, the planning officer in charge of this project conspicuously ignored the wishes of the public and the councillors and again pressed to have the original Warehouse building approved, regardless of the instructions given at the previous meeting.
Fortunately, the councillors voted unanimously to deny planning permission for this bleak and ugly building in our Conservation Area.
We call upon you to instruct your planning officers to do the job that they are paid to do – to carry out the instructions of the elected councillors and residents of Newmarket.
The Save Historic Newmarket Action Group