E-mail received this afternoon:
This Council has received an unprecedented number of enquiries regarding the planning application for Royal Marine Joe Townsend. We appreciate their concerns in what is a highly emotive issue and we are doing our best to reply to everyone.
We think it is important that everyone who knows about Joe's case fully understands both the reason for this Council's decision on January 8 and the current situation. Whilst this Council is fully committed to providing help and assistance to representatives of all our armed forces who have been injured in the service of this Country, we also have a duty to balance any proposals for new development with the strongly held wishes of the community in Wealden to protect our rural environment.
The Council has made it clear throughout that they are prepared to negotiate with Joe and his family to secure independent local accommodation for Joe. We have suggested a number of alternative proposals which we are discussing with the planning agent and family representatives.
All staff and councillors fully support the need to find a solution to Joe's housing needs. We remain committed to working with the family to help find a satisfactory outcome.
Wealden District Council
'....strongly held wishes of the community in Wealden to protect our rural environment...', eh?
Yet neither the local community nor the parish council had
any objections to the proposal.