Ths St Albans Local Plan Debate on Video

Here only dropped in on it.  Quality of debate very high, though it gets bogged down in proceduralism over petitions, amendments and motions.  All controversial plans will inevitable receive a batch of petitions.  But these need to be be debated as amendments to the substantive motion then move the substantive motion on the plan unless the amendment makes it a nullity.  Quite why it took the Council well over an hour to get to that very obvious point I dont know, proper agenda management should have worked all that through well before the meeting.  I have always said by the way that council constitutions should state clearly that their should be no separate scrutiny and petition motions on plan making as this is a statutory consultation and scrutiny process and it confuses the public to have decisions discussed several times over and potentially unlawfully out of context of the legal requirements on decision makers to consider all the issues  - in particular the need to consider reasonable alternatives on plans and programmes under the sea  directive.  If a plan needs to be amended or delayed just move a motion to that effect.

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