What's wrong with Parish Plans
PART THREE: A Comparison to HIPs
THE CURRENT HOUSING CRISIS has resulted in even more strident criticism of HIPs (Home Information Packs, Alastair's been moving house - Eds). Almost all people (in this case one can safely generalise) think they are a waste of time - except for a spokesman for the Communities and Local Government department who, in reply to the criticism, on the 26th August said: 'HIPs are already bringing benefits to consumers by providing important information to help families to cut their fuel bills and carbon emissions and have reduced the price of property searches by increasing transparency in the home-buying and selling process.'
This is not only economical with the truth - it is a downright lie. Having recently spent nearly £400 on a HIP I thought I would become one of the few who ask to see one - purely out of curiosity, just as I might ask to look at a Victorian tram ticket. And what do I find? - 51 pages of what Tony Hancock speaking of the Blabbermouth magazine called 'unadulterated rubbish'. There are some simple searches which duplicate those of solicitors (so why do them?) and some bland information which we know already, such as that if you improve loft insulation, replace the boiler, use low energy light bulbs, install double glazing, have solar panels - that if you make all these changes you can reduce your heating costs and increase your CO2 rating. All this you get for your £400. Thank you very much! It does not say the likely cost of all the above which could run into several thousands.
I only mention this because it is an extra expense which we have to accept. If you don't like it you can't sell your house. So, how does this relate to Parish Plans? Both are time wasters which keep people in employment not only wasting their time but also the time of others when they con a Parish Council into spending time and money on this fruitless exercise - fruitless according to the Defra report which I quoted last month. Do remember that at the Village Assembly Allen Alderson said many times that if we do not complete a Parish Plan our views will be ignored. The Defra report says they are likely to be ignored anyway.
The promotion of Parish Plans is relentless and the Summer 2008 magazine of Cambridgeshire ACRE announced it has just appointed a new community planning team, and then reports on the progress of Parish Plans in Fenland, South Cambridgeshire, and in ECDC which is our concern.
It proudly announces that 'the completed Haddenham plan was presented to the East Cambridgeshire Strategic Partnership [employing even more people!] in March, with three others following in June.
It has already been demonstrated that the Haddenham Plan can have no impact at all on national policy. But it is worse than this. In the Aug/Sept Crier, quoting Defra's report, it is a fact that from 2004 any Parish Plan without 'a sustainability appraisal' could not be accepted as a 'supplementary Planning Document'. There is no 'sustainability appraisal' in the Haddenham Plan. Therefore it is valueless - apart from at the local level.
Have the people at ACRE read the Defra report, has anyone at ECDC (they also have people working on it) read it, have our two ECDC councillors read it? What is the hidden agenda which is driving our two councillors to maintain the value of Parish Plans, just as that bloke did for HIPs?