What progress has been made on SUE?

FOLLOWING on from the letter in the HT (“Re-joining Europe is hardly a priority,” April 20, about the (Un) Liberal Democratic Party, the recent resurrection of the planning permission for Barwell (Un)sustainable Urban Expansion reminded me of the Barwell Parish Referendum.

Some 96 per cent of the voters expressing an opinion polled against the development, yet the Liberal Democrats dismissed our wishes and gave planning permission. Ten years later what progress has been made? Are the builders running rings around the borough council?

If we had a real need for this housing surely the project would have made a start. Isn’t it about time the project was abandoned?

Ten years is a long time, and the world is a different place. The criterion for giving planning permission no longer holds good (it did not make sense at the time of the original submission).

We were promised numerous financial benefits would be forthcoming to improve Barwell – where are they? After 10 years will the government contributions still be as generous? The funding promised by the builders to improve infrastructure are presumably no longer valid as life has changed so much.

Should we be building on agricultural land? The war in Ukraine has highlighted we need to be self-sufficient in food supply.

Messrs Bray, Bill and Mullaney seem to be clueless in guiding the council. The Barwell SUE has the same hallmark as The Crescent debacle. No progress for years then the primary party pulled out.

The council were forced to stump up cash to get the project off the ground.

What a failure it has been. The project took so long to get off the ground the retail trade did not want the completed product. Empty retail units continually and rather than retail shops we are now having a Wetherspoons Pub. Nothing wrong with Wetherspoons but it is not retail shops.

When the Lib Dems realised they made a big mistake after the Barwell Referendum, and lost candidates in the next local elections, subsequent flyers coming from them always emphasised how they would be robust in dealing with planning applications. I thought they were the listening party. If they had any scruples, they should hold good to their promise and treat the residents of Barwell with some respect, kick out the SUE and stop a disaster to our quality of life happening.

D Griffiths