BALLOON DECISION 'CALLED IN' OVER FEARS FOR PUBLIC OPEN SPACES

12.08.56pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 25th Sep 2007

The Conservative Elected Mayor's decision to dispose of the open space land at Torre Abbey Park, to enable the siting of the controversial huge balloon attraction has been 'called in' by five Liberal Democrat Councillors.

The Conservative Mayor's decision will go to a meeting of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Board for further scrutiny.

The reasons for the call-in are:

Whether the decision is a departure from the Council's own vision on its green space assets.

Whether the Mayor took proper account of the paperwork circulated at the Cabinet meeting by those objecting to the balloon.

Whether the decision should have been made by all Councillors at a Full Council Meeting rather than just by the Mayor alone at a cabinet meeting;

4) The research document and its contents from the Joseph

Rowntree Foundation entitled "The social value of public spaces" was not taken fully into account before the decision was made;

Whether the Mayor took into account if his decision is a deviation from the Local Plan.

The signatories to the 'call in' are Councillors: Jenny Faulkner, Ian Doggett, Steve Darling, Cindy Stocks and Ruth Pentney.

Councillor Jenny Faulkner said: "Local people and tourists alike value the public open spaces that there are in Torbay. In fact many tourists come to our area because of them. The Government is encouraging local authorities to preserve their public open spaces - the Mayor seems to want to do the opposite. In the same week that the Mayor took the decision to dispose of the land at Torre Abbey for the balloon, a press release went out from the Council launching the vision for Torbay's green open spaces. The Mayor and his Conservative administration seem to be going against their own strategy.

"I am also worried that the Mayor's decision completely disregards the covenants that the Cary Estate have put in place, and could open up the Council to legal challenge."