THE former chairman of Tandridge District Council, Councillor Beverley Connolly, has announced she will stand down due to her frustrations with planning policies.
The representative for Harestone ward since 2002 revealed she is "considering her position" at last week's council meeting.
She told the Mirror that current policy has rendered her unable to stand up for her residents in vital planning battles.
"We have policies which we are supposed to use to protect our area, but we are not using them. I am getting very disillusioned with what the council does.
"When I joined, I was on the planning committee and the councillors and officers were happy to refuse planning applications, but now developers threaten appeals and we are running scared.
"I stood for election to represent residents – I am not a career politician. I have always spoken as I see things. Sometimes councillors' views are not taken as seriously as they should be at planning meetings. Over the years we have become more frightened of developers."
The Conservative will stand down from her position on the council at next May's election.
She admitted she had been prompted by the council's decision to approve 24 apartments and four houses on the former Marie Curie site in Harestone Drive, Caterham – a development Cllr Connolly fought for many years.
But, reflecting on her 12 years in the council, the mother-of-four looks back fondly on her time in local government, particularly as chairman last year.
"I had a fantastic 12 months," she said. "I was very busy travelling around and outside Surrey. You get to go to places you would never go and meet people you would never meet."
She also singled out the ongoing fight to have Soper Hall turned to community use as one of the signature battles of her time as a councillor. "But now, coming back to being a councillor after 12 months as chairman, there is a dissatisfaction with not being able to support my residents in planning battles. It may be time for someone who has a bit more energy, who can jump up and down a bit more."
Council leader Gordon Keymer praised Cllr Connolly's service. "Planning is a difficult area for all of us. I have great admiration for our members as they struggle to balance government reports with the desires of local people."
