Why won't council buy houses?

Published on 8th November 2007 in Letters

Sir - The Goole Times (October 25, page 14 - 'Gangs taking over Shuffleton area') cites yet another excuse from ERYC for their inaction with regard to Richard Cooper Street and Phoenix Street.

ERYC have been telling the people of Goole for the last two years of their intention to issue CPOs, but yet they still will not issue them. The reason being - and it isn't down to concentrating on their voluntary acquisition policy as they would have us all believe - is down to the fact that once CPOs are issued, then an individual has the right to challenge it via a public inquiry, and ERYC are not at all confident of winning such an inquiry.

Hence their reluctance to take the step that GAG has been asking for ever since the council's plans for demolition were unveiled in December, 2004. The reason that a public inquiry is likely to find against ERYC is that a CPO seeks to take away a person's property from them against their will.

It is a draconian step and the significance of this is well recognised in English compulsory purchase law and procedure. The taking of a person's land against his will is a serious invasion of his proprietary rights and will thus be carefully scrutinised.

Which means that ERYC's lack of meaningful consultation - the refusal to even consider renovation - when a very viable option was "on the table", will all be aired and evaluated in public. In addition, an acquiring authority is required to demonstrate "a compelling case in the public interest" that justifies compulsory acquisition.

Three years on and still with no definite plan as to what to do with the "cleared area" in a town desperately short of housing, ERYC will not easily be able to claim a "compelling case" for demolition.

Alan Wilson

Boothferry Road, Goole