Dear Mr Archer,

12th October 1997.

I am writing to you as the elected Councillor for the Swaffhams Ward of East Cambridgeshire District Council in order formally to lodge my objections to the East Cambridgeshire District Local Plan Deposit Draft. You will of course know that I played no part in the preparation of the Deposit Draft as it was drawn up before I was elected.

You will see by the date of this letter that I have left it until very close to tomorrow's deadline for public consultation to lodge my objections. I have done this purposely in order to give the people who live in Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior and Reach ample time to give me their views (as I have invited them so to do), on what I have been saying publicly for the last couple of months in the local newspapers, parish magazines and at Parish Council meetings. To date I have had three letters of objection, two telephone calls of objection and I have attended a meeting in a private house with ten people who object to what I have said about Reach. I have also been told by approximately an equal amount of people that what I am saying is good and that they support me. One person even said I was very brave! It is not bravado that drives me to say the things that I do, simply a wish to make sure that what is done is done right.

I have not conducted any surveys myself on what the public's opinion is about the Draft Local Plan but I understand that two attempts have been made this weekend in Reach to gauge it. Whilst I cannot and will not attach too much significance to surveys with a political or one opinion bias, I will put on record, for the benefit of those who have voiced their objections to me, that this letter contains my personal opinions which are publicly known, which differ from those of the Parish Councils in my Ward, and which are not agreeable to some of the electorate. Those bodies and individuals have, as I, had the same well advertised and free opportunity to write to you and have an input into the formulation of a new Local Plan for East Cambridgeshire and I hope and trust that they have done so. I have emphasised quite clearly that now is their last chance to have a say until 2006.

Having read my own copy of the Draft Local Plan (which was approved by Full Council the day I was elected)  I personally feel that Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham