Stinging cuts on Planning
Lord Rooker Environment Minister has announced stinging cuts on the role a councillor plays in seeking site meetings for an on behalf of residents.
He says that the action will not lessen or weaken the essential role council consultation plays in the planning process and confirms that views of councils will be taken into account - rubbish.
My problems is that when an application is submitted and the planning service announce that application in the smallest possible print in the local newspapers. They do not notify everyone and it left to councillors phoning around to let people know about a particular site meeting. This is often the first communication they have on something which is often very important to them.
He even I understand is saying site meetings will be held in an office rather than at proposed development sites. This is absolute nonsense, it is very important that meetings are held on site, at a recent site meeting we had to go into the neighbours garden and then into his home to see just how badly he was going to be affected by an approved planning decision.
Site meetings are exactly what they say it is when neighbours can discuss plan, and quite often amendments are agreed. Why is it always the nearby neighbour who is penalised and suffers. Some of the decisions I have seen made by the planning service leave me totally perplexed. I have sat with residents crying and upset, I have seen them made quite ill, and I have seen building approved which are little less than carbuncles in the area.
Now we have Lord Rooker, denying the residents and councillors the use of deferment more than once and then it must be for planning reasons, obviously the milk of human kindness has left the system."
He says that the action will not lessen or weaken the essential role council consultation plays in the planning process and confirms that views of councils will be taken into account - rubbish.
My problems is that when an application is submitted and the planning service announce that application in the smallest possible print in the local newspapers. They do not notify everyone and it left to councillors phoning around to let people know about a particular site meeting. This is often the first communication they have on something which is often very important to them.
He even I understand is saying site meetings will be held in an office rather than at proposed development sites. This is absolute nonsense, it is very important that meetings are held on site, at a recent site meeting we had to go into the neighbours garden and then into his home to see just how badly he was going to be affected by an approved planning decision.
Site meetings are exactly what they say it is when neighbours can discuss plan, and quite often amendments are agreed. Why is it always the nearby neighbour who is penalised and suffers. Some of the decisions I have seen made by the planning service leave me totally perplexed. I have sat with residents crying and upset, I have seen them made quite ill, and I have seen building approved which are little less than carbuncles in the area.
Now we have Lord Rooker, denying the residents and councillors the use of deferment more than once and then it must be for planning reasons, obviously the milk of human kindness has left the system."
posted by Marion Smith at 11:15 AM
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