Officers to review damming report into Huntingdonshire District Council
Hywel Barrett
hywel.barrett@archant.co.uk
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Updated: Friday, May 2, 2014 (12:33)
Houghton & Wyton Sign
A report damning Huntingdonshire District Council for putting a strip of protected land between Houghton and St Ives at risk of development is being reviewed by officers.
Management consultant Andrew Sparke looked into HDC's handling of the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC), next to Houghton Grange, during and after the consultation for the Core Strategy in 2009 after a complaint was made to managing director Jo Lancaster.
His report said Houghton and Wyton residents were entitled to think the field was protected from development after a statement from a planning inspector in 2002, which said: "Maintenance of the gap between the two sites is vital to the separate identity of St Ives and Houghton."
The report found a breakdown in communication between senior officers meant planners were not aware parish boundaries had changed in 2007 and Houghton and Wyton Parish Council was not properly consulted.
Mr Sparke said there had been a breakdown in trust between residents and HDC.
This week, a district council spokesman said: "We have received the report and are reviewing it."