OBJECT BY ST VALENTINE'S DAY

12.00.00am GMT Sun 12th Jan 2003

Lib Dem Spokesman, Cllr Martin Elengorn, has urged residents to register their objections to the Tories' proposed modifications to the Council's Unitary Development Plan by the deadline, St Valentine's Day.

Said Cllr Elengorn " Once any of these modifications is adopted it will be too late to object to planning applications based on them."

"I urge residents to go to their District Library and ask to see the modifications, visit the Civic Centre or study the modifications on the Council website."

"Some of the changes involve developing open spaces and the arguments for doing so need to be fully tested in the light of the value residents place on them."

"Once the modifications are adopted the pass is sold. Do see if your area is affected."

"There are also serious problems about the Tories' transport policy which equally encourages all modes of transport. This is not sustainable. With limited road-space hard choices have to be made and the only rational choice is to give preference to public transport, cycling and walking and discourage inefficient domination of road-space by the private motor car."

"Public transport, cycling and walking make much less impact on the environment per traveller and, if life is to be bearable in the borough in the next 10 years, must be given preference."

"Instead the Tories believe, not in an integrated transport policy, but in trying to please everybody. Thus instead of taking a firm view that road capacity must not be increased they wish to ease points of congestion."

"However this is self-defeating on its own and, in no time at all, sucks in more traffic until congestion is back where it was."

"Equally they have expunged car-free developments from the Plan and maintain that in many parts of the borough the maximum parking standards for new developments should also be minimum standards."

"Both these changes mean that more traffic will be using the roads to get to and from these extra parking spaces."

"Finally the Tories, while continuing the Lib Dem opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, have expunged the paragraph in the UDP arguing for a sustainable national air transport policy rather than one based on "predict and provide". So they are only arguing about where airport expansion should be not on the principle.