I READ Cllr Howell’s letter regarding the approved development at Terrace Row with great concern.

As Cllr Howell was present at the planning committee that granted the scheme for 17 desperately needed affordable units of housing in Poole’s town centre he would have heard many members of the committee seek assurances on exactly the issues he has concerns about.

We were assured, on numerous occasions, that the final layout of the street was not what was shown before us and our planning and transportation officers gave a real commitment to providing a quality public realm, street scene and public footpath and cycleway through what is a site in public ownership. We were further assured that engineering measures will be in place to deter any vehicles from using the site as a rat run and that the final road and footpath sand cycleway scheme would be laid out after consultation with councillors.

It is difficult to see what we could have done further to respond to the concerns Cllr Howell and others raised and I am most annoyed to see him attempt to make political capital out of what is a development by a social housing provider on the council’s land – hardly a “developer” in the usual sense of the word to which he refers so disparagingly.

I would remind him that the committee rejected the major development on the site between Poole’s two bridges for many of the reasons he outlines in his letter and I would further remind him that a quality street scene is exactly what is being provided on phase one of the Pilkington’s site across the water in Hamworthy – hardly examples of Poole’s planning committee ignoring the provision of quality public areas on the regeneration sites.

CLLR PHILIP EADES, Chairman of Planning Committee, Borough of Poole