Local Plan: brilliant letter reveals Gilbey's NIMBYism

Council leader is a Nimby himself

As a footnote to a recent letter regarding the Canterbury draft Local Plan, this paper helpfully added "Nimby stands for not in my backyard". Readers can get a fuller understanding of this term by going online to the planning applications section of the councils website, searching for CA//07/01795 and then viewing the "Associated Documents".

This application was for a single, modest-sized bungalow in-filling on a garden in lieu of an existing structure. "Technical consultations" returned to the case officer, Nan Barton, showed no objections raised by the Highways Agency, the Environment Agency, Kent County Council Highways and even Kingston parish council had no issues.

There were, however, four "Written Representations" from local residents against the application. The one from the next door neighbour, council leader John Gilbey, and addressed not to the case officer but rather the department head, makes compelling reading. So Nimby can be seen to actually mean "not a single one in my backyard, but over 40,000 on greenfields in yours is OK by me".

Ray Sanders, Old Dover Road, (South) Canterbury

HB Gazette letter 6th Jun 2013