Daily Archives: 6 Sep 2014

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6 Sep 2014

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Affordable and Social Housing, Freedom of Information and EIA

“Right to Contest” a flop

on 27 August we ran a story on Government plans for a “Right to Contest” to force sale of Government land – a press release that seems in (quite recent) retrospect to be rather in the style of La La Land:

http://wp.me/p447y3-TP

Here is an update:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/05/osborne-right-to-contest-land-sale-flop_n_5771112.html?ncid=flipboard

“In response to a Freedom of Information request from HuffPost UK, the Cabinet Office admitted that only nine applications had been made asking for certain bits of land or property to be sold off since the launch of the “Right to Contest” programme this January, with seven of those applications already rejected by officials.

The Cabinet Office said that three of the applications demanding the sale of particular bits of Whitehall-owned land had been rejected as the sites were judged to be “vital to operations”, while the other four were “out of scope” of what applicants can request. The final two applications are “still ongoing” and awaiting final judgement.”

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6 Sep 2014

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EDDC, Freedom of Information and EIA, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Sidmouth Herald “Streetlife” readers comments on Knowle secrecy

Extracts from the “Streetlife” section of this week’s Sidmouth Herald and is reported verbatim:

“What the heck?

In the Herald it states,on page 6, that EDDC are trying to keep a report secret because the man they brought in as an expert from a (presumably) independent firm is so deeply “embedded” that he can be considered as the same as an employee. And has the powers similar to a council officer.

Apparently the report, although appearing in the format and branding of the company who actually employs him is his personal work and therefore belongs to the council !! If this is accepted then it will set a dangerous legal precedent about work produced during employment which currently belongs (copyright) to the employer not employee.

Also, doesn’t this negate his position as an expert if he is, in fact, controlled by EDDC?”

To which one response from “Barnacle Bill” is:

“E(m)bedded or ‘in bed?’

They are so deep in the sh*t that they are going to stink to high heaven when the truth is out.”

Not your usual polite Sidmouth comments and a measure of their anger and frustration perhaps?

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6 Sep 2014

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EDDC, Environment (local), Honiton/ Gittisham, Local Plan, NPPF

Gittisham – the less bad news, though it’s bad enough

Local MP Neil Parish, bewildered by the Gittisham planning application in its earlier stages, had already arranged for it to be called in for decision by Secretary of State Eric Pickles even before the EDDC latest decision.

This will be a real test of so-called “sustainability in the National Planning Policy Framework: a reserve site if there had ever been a local plan, access by one narrow country road constrained by a bridge, reliance on cars to get to shops and other facilities, real worries that doctors and education establishments cannot cope, on the direct boundary of an AONB. The pill sugared by the “promise” of social housing which, as we know, disappears from successful planning applications like morning mist in high summer in East Devon.

And all totally avoidable if we had in place the Local Plan (and Community Infrastructure Levy) that EDDC has been “working on” since 2007.

Another planning application that is left to the local community (and its concerned MP) to fight thanks to EDDC’s officers and councillors.