Well done, Express and Echo for getting this story!
So, just to be clear, the man who dominated Planning in East Devon for many years, who indicated in the Telegraph that he was interested in receiving tens of thousands of pounds in exchange for winning planning approvals, was all along living in a new property he had promised his own Planning Department would always remain for someone working in agriculture. When in fact he was living there pursuing other commercial activities all along.
Did no fellow councillors, or planning officers – all fully aware that he was a planning “consultant” and builder – think this a bit odd. Did nobody pipe up?
Still, a splendid entertainment is promised at the district in the next few months. How will Planning Chairman Helen Parr deal with this when it comes – as it must – before the Development Management Committee? Will Mr Brown perhaps grace the chamber with his presence? And just how hard will EDDC strive to keep this one off any public agenda before next May?
Let us not forget that while he was illegally occupying this property, he was:
A district councillor
Chairman of the first Local Development Framework (Local Plan) panel (which met in secret)
Chairman of the East Devon Business Forum – a group fully-funded by East Devon District Council, and with one of its senior officers as its Secretary, and made up of local landowners and builders who persuaded EDDC to ignore two sets of consultants in order to favour their figures, particularly on employment land
Director of a local planning consultancy (Greygreen Planning Ltd) and building company
For part of the time EDDC Business Champion
AND
Councillor for Feniton and Bucketell when, by coincidence, that area was flooded by developers wanting to increase the size of the village by 40%
And all this time he was breaking planning rules …..
East Devon Watch 
So how exactly will the DMC decide exactly when his business changed from ” agriculture” to “other business”. Do they take his word for it that it was more than 10 years ago? If so, why was he styling himself as “National Farmers Union” representative at ALL the East Devon Business Forum meetings he attended up to the time he left the council in 2013? And why did he not disclose his “other business interests” at EDDC or EDBF?
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This planning application 14/2032/CPE (accessed via https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/) shows a history of 23 planning applications over the years in relation to the property (see https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=000YTEGHLI000)
The present application needs to be looked at, preferably by an outside planning department, in the light of all the previous applications – and perhaps by other bodies in relation to what has been written on various pieces of offical paper.
The application raises so many questions, let me pose a few examples.
Were EDDC’s planning department carrying out their duties of investigating applications, and checking on adherence to restrictions, with due diligence over the years?
Who from EDDC visited Brown and why did they not ask a few questions about his use of the property? (How about the EDDC contact Brown made mention of in the Telegraph sting?)
What political colleagues were visitors, and did they keep eyes, ears and mouths shut?
Why is he submiting this now, is he smart enough to think it is the time to get away with it, or has he been tipped off to do so?
What does this tell us about the judgement of his former very close colleagues. The present leader was very close to Brown on the EDBF. Word is that many councillors and EDDC staff socialised with Brown at various events, some quite exotic we hear, Was his farming activity, or lack of, never discussed by those who would have known of the residence restrictions?
If these former close colleagues were incapable, for any reason, of forming a realistic judgement about Brown and acting on it as holders of public office, why should we trust their judgement on anything?
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Worthwhile reading about this and all the 21 comments on Claire Wright’s blog. It is dated 9 Sept 2014. It is also worthwhile putting some comments on the planning application. Any member of the public can do this.
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