It is not the LPAs job to Stop Development!!!

When will Local Planning Committees realise that it is there job to prevent INAPPROPRIATE development, not all development!!

They seem to think that they have to refuse any planning application that involves new development, because in their opinion, it is not nice! It doesn’t seem to matter whether a scheme complies with planning policy or not.

At a recent planning committee I attended, one of the committee actually said:

“the UDP policies are just a guideline, we don’t have to follow them if we don’t agree with them”

What is the point of even having planning policies if the planning committee members are jsut going to make decisions based purely on their own opinions, not on the policy which has been approved by the council and adopted!

I do understand the need for a planning committee, but not when they just refuse everything and ignore advice that is given to them by the LPAs planning officers.

Committee members are not held responsible for the decisions they make, if a bad decision is made and the applicant chooses to appeal, it is the planning officers that have to defend the councils positions, despite the fact that in many cases they had recommended schemes for approval.

Committee members need to be accountable for the decisions they are making and the amount of money they are costing the council by refusing scheme which are perfectly acceptable, and forcing applicants to go to appeal!

Hello world!

Hello everyone!

I am a town planner who is astonished by some of the decisions that Local Planning Authorities are making!

I am currently work in the private sector and I am becoming extremely disillusioned by some of the attitudes towards developments which Local Planning Authorities are taking.

When people come forward with well designed scheme, LPAs complain and want schemes that fit in with the existing area, even if the exisitng area is poorly designed!