Is Waverley Borough Council Right-Brain dominated?

I often sit and wonder quite what it is that forms the foundation of spurious and bad planning decisions made by our friends in WBC. There are cheap quip answers: nimbyism, naivety, ignorance; but that’s really not fair is it? I mean – stubborn and completely non even-handed they may be, the poor loves, but stupid? Probably not.

So I search for a more reasonable answer to the question, and remind myself of the widely accepted psychological theory of left-brain or right-brain dominance. The theory, in summary, suggests that each side of the brain controls different types of thinking, and an individual – and his or her thinking – is dominated by one or t’other.

A person who is “left-brained” is often said to be more logical, analytical and objective, while a person who is “right-brained” is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful and subjective.

Planning decisions, subjective? Surely not! However, it seems there may be further evidence to support my emerging WBC right-brain dominance idea. Evidence from a Town Planner no less….

Tim Stansfeld, (said Planner) recently wrote a very interesting article on ‘Place-Attachment‘, where he questioned whether his ‘place-attachment’ made him a Nimby (click here for link to full article).

Place-Attachment is defined as one’s emotional or affective ties to a place, and is generally thought to be the result of a long-term connection with a certain environment – it is also one of the essential building blocks of opposition to development.

Solved! Bad decisions, made by subjectively thinking, self-serving right-brained Nimbys. So right-brained it’s a surprise they don’t constantly walk around in ever-decreasing circles.

Oh hang on! Surely having your self-interested and bad Local Plan thrown out can be seen as an ever-decreasing circle?