Like my husband (Stephen Shaw), in general I believe the plan to be legally compliant, but pre-populating the representations form in a way is that is most favourable to the Council is likely to be deemed as maladmininstrative by the Local Government Ombudsman. I do not believe that a consultation exercise that encourages respondents in a particular direction could possibly be considered as reasonable and proper. The correct process, given the likely outcome of an Ombudsman investigation, would be to halt the current exercise and start again.

Given that we - and doubtless others - have drawn this to your attention, any decision to proceed without re-visiting the representations form would also likely be judged as maladministrative.

I do not believe that sufficient heed has been paid to the environmental impact of any plans to develop BEX9.

Further attention should be paid to the views of Natural England and the Environment Agency in regard to possible mitigation measures to prevent permanent and irreversible damage to the Pevensey Levels.

If such mitigation measures include - as they must - a degree of uncertainty and risk, I do not understand how the DaSA can properly include BEX9 given the number of alternative sites to the north of Bexhill where Central Government has funded the necessary road infrastructure.