Our AGM was held on Tuesday, 1 November, in the Normandy Village Hall. The following is a summary of our discussions.

The Chair’s Report (attached - see below) reviewed the main developments in the external environment during the course of the year and how NAG has responded. This has included trying to keep up with the shifting direction of government policy with regard to planning, as well as issues closer to home, in Guildford Borough and Normandy Parish. We have also continued our very helpful membership of the Guildford Residents’ Associations, and have engaged with the newly formed Community Planning Alliance, which aims to link groups similar to ours across the whole country.

Discussion centred on the under-resourcing and resulting under-performance of the planning function in Guildford Borough Council (GBC) and how an organisation such as NAG should respond. There were critical current challenges around the enforcement of planning regulations that were not being met. The local government elections in May 2023 would provide an opportunity to seek commitments from all candidates to address this important issue. It was also agreed that the Chair would write to the Leader of GBC on the same subject.

Looking more widely, we heard about a raft of possible new legislation that could impact negatively on the planning system, the building of affordable homes, and on environmental and wildlife protection. It was too early to say whether the new Government would take forward all the proposals that had been tabled by its predecessors, but there was considerable concern among conservation and wildlife charities about the suggested direction of travel; NAG would continue to monitor developments and keep its followers informed.
 
The Treasurer reported on the finances of the organisation. When we resolved in November 2017 to move to email, rather than hard-copy, newsletters, we knew that we had sufficient funds to continue for a few years without calling for further subscriptions, but that those funds would eventually run out. This would now happen in 2023. While we were confident that we could address this by seeking and obtaining donations from our followers, we felt this would be more appropriate when there was a major issue that would call for a ‘fighting fund’, such as we faced during the passage of the Local Plan.  Instead, we decided to seek modest grant support from the Parish and County Councils to allow us to continue to maintain this website and associated webmail, and to keep local residents informed on planning matters.

Attachments:

Chair's Report 2022

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