'˜You've ruined Eye' mayor tells Peterborough City Council planning team

Councillor David Sanders vented his anger at senior council officers during a debate on a new draft local plan for Peterborough.

Cllr Sanders, Conservative member for Eye, Thorney and Newborough, was fuming that the draft plan up to 2036 has pencilled in 250 more properties for the village of Eye.

During a debate by councillors on a scrutiny committee on Tuesday night, Cllr Sanders did not hold back despite being sat a few feet from Simon Machen, council director for growth and regeneration, and Gemma Wildman, principal planning officer.

He said: “It’s shocking the way they have destroyed Eye and Eyebury Road. People are complaining non-stop, yet the planners want to suggest to us more growth in Eye.”

Cllr Sanders was not appeased that the draft plan will go out to consultation in December.

He added: “We’ve had six consultations and at each one the electorate have said, ‘no more growth, we can’t take what we’ve got now. Eyebury Road can’t take it, the doctor’s surgery can’t take it, the school can’t take it’.

“But time and time again we are misled and they do not address the problems we raise. We have no faith in this consultation. It should not be going to consultation. We’ve had enough.

“You’ve ruined Eye and you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Mr Machen said without a local plan, it would be a “free for all” allowing speculative developers to get planning permission for more houses than is currently proposed.

He added: “I have yet to find a community that has come forward to say we will have more growth.

“But unfortunately we have to have more growth.”

Speaking earlier, Mr Machen said: “Wherever we build houses there will be a need to build new schools.”

Eye resident Dale McKean, speaking at the meeting, said: “There are significant traffic and rat run issues along Eyebury Road outside the school and parents are really concerned about their children’s safety.”