COMMITTEE UPDATE

1. 𝗔𝗩𝗕𝗖 - 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗬
We’ve formally written to the Head of Planning at AVBC calling for this application to be determined 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆.

Key points from our letter:
• The Council can legally decide 𝗻𝗼𝘄 - the Local Plan is adopted, up-to-date, and this site is still Green Belt and not allocated
• There are already material grounds to decline, and ongoing delay is no longer justified - especially as the applicant has still not resolved major issues like the Transport Assessment
• There are clear, independent grounds for refusal:
o inappropriate Green Belt development
o no Very Special Circumstances
o highway, drainage and environmental concerns
o harm to landscape and settlement separation
• The Council has a 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆, so this site is not needed
• A refusal would be robust and defensible at appeal
• Continued delay risks 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 and allowing timing - not policy - to decide the outcome
• 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲

Bottom line:
• This is not a borderline decision
• The policy is clear
• The evidence is clear

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆

Full letter here:
https://skhgb.co.uk/letter-to-sarah-brooks-avbc-head-of...

2. 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 - 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗞
A new letter from the Ministry of Housing has raised the stakes significantly for this application.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱?
• For schemes of 150+ homes, if a Council refuses planning permission, it must now refer the decision to the Secretary of State
• The Government can then “call in” the application and take the decision out of local hands
• This applies to applications not decided before 11 May 2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲
• This site exceeds that threshold
• A local refusal may no longer be the final say
• There is a real risk the decision is removed from Amber Valley and decided centrally
• That means less local control, more delay, and a higher risk of approval

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
• This shifts decision-making away from local communities and elected councillors
• In simple terms - it is anti-democratic
• Local people, local evidence, and the adopted Local Plan risk being overridden by a central decision

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗞𝗛𝗚𝗕 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻
• The applicant’s pattern of submitting incomplete information is prolonging the process
• That delay now has consequences - 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁
• The Council does 𝗡𝗢𝗧 have to keep delaying
• They can determine the application 𝗡𝗢𝗪, based on the evidence available

𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
• Delay is no longer neutral
• Delay risks losing local control altogether

3. 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 - 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖 𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗧 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟
As you will have seen, last week, police attended two separate road traffic collisions within minutes outside Kilburn Primary School during drop-off/pick-up.

This wasn’t random. It was the direct result of unsafe parking, congestion, and pressure on a road network already at its limit.

Police have had to step in, warning about:
• Parking on zig-zags and white lines
• Obstructed visibility
• Dangerous traffic flow at peak times

𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆.

Now ask the obvious question: what happens when another 400 vehicles are added into this same network?
• More congestion
• More unsafe parking
• More pressure at school gates
• More risk to children and families

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱.

4. 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗟𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 - 𝗖𝗣𝗥𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧
A recent report from CPRE (the countryside charity) confirms what we’ve been saying all along:
• There is enough brownfield land in England for 1.41 MILLION homes
• Over 770,000 already have planning permission and could be delivered quickly
• In many areas, brownfield alone could meet housing targets for years

So ask the obvious question: 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹?

CPRE is clear - without a proper “brownfield first” policy, 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 instead of using land that is already available and suitable.

Why this matters for Kilburn & Horsley:
• Confirms there are credible alternatives to building on Green Belt
• Strengthens the case that this scheme is not justified by housing need
• Reinforces policy position - Green Belt release should be exceptional, not routine
• Shows this proposal is about developer choice, not necessity

Bottom line:
• This isn’t about whether homes are needed
• It’s about where they should go first

𝗖𝗣𝗥𝗘’𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 - 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝘁

5. 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦’ 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚
We’ve been asked if another Residents’ Meeting is being arranged. Right now, we’re in a holding position while AVBC considers its next steps. There’s not much new information to share, so a further meeting would probably add little at this stage.

We are continuing to actively push matters forward behind the scenes. Please keep an eye on our weekly Facebook and website updates for developments.

That said, if enough people would value a meeting - even during this period - let us know in the comments and we’ll arrange one.