Clarification on Solby Wood Farm consultation materials
Castle Point Borough Council wishes to address and correct several inaccurate statements contained in recent consultation materials issued by Hillside Enterprises regarding proposed development at Solby Wood Farm, Daws Heath.
It has been brought to our attention that the consultation website and accompanying documents state that Solby Wood Farm was identified for residential development within the Council’s Regulation 18 Issues and Options document. This is incorrect. The Issues and Options document is a statutory process to seek public input on a range of potential sites and the document explicitly states that named sites were not formal allocations.
It was stated that the Council has undertaken technical assessments supporting the suitability of Solby Wood Farm for development. This is untrue. The site was not included in the withdrawn Local Plan and has not been evaluated in any published Green Belt assessment work to date.
Furthermore, Question 1 in the consultation misrepresents the Council’s position, as an endorsement where none exists.
Castle Point Borough Council has formally contacted Hillside Enterprises to request that it :
- Issues an immediate retraction to clarify these inaccuracies
- Amends their website and published consultation materials accordingly
- Contacts all recipients of their original materials with corrected information
Cllr Tim Copsey, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning said: “Residents deserve transparency and accurate information especially on matters as significant as planning and development. We are committed to ensuring Castle Point residents are properly informed and we will continue to challenge any misrepresentations.”