Today’s Development Management Committee passed the planning applications for the Pinhoe area, including “Old Park Farm 2” with minimal debate.
Two questions spring to mind:
Why bother with a DMC at all?
Which councillors on the DMC seem to have severed their friendships with one of the developers – having declared a personal interest as “acquaintances” in 2010 but no interest at all in 2014?
Quite a few letters were exchanged between interested parties whilst the Planning Inspector was hearing submissions for the local plan (including one rather tetchy exchange between him and an EDDC officer.
Letters can be accessed at the link below – where the letter promised by the Inspector by 31 March 2014 should be posted when it arrives
….. I would comment on the level of community involvement in this application. The statement of community involvement submitted by the applicants’ agent considered that it is not “considered necessary to undertake community consultation to the extent which might normally be expected”.
…..I write on behalf of myself and my husband. We are one of the closest residents to the proposals and were only made aware of the proposals because of media attention.
Putting aside the fact that we have not been consulted on something so close to our property (…..20m or less away from us) we wish to strongly object on the following grounds:
…..Millwood has taken Counsel’s advice in respect of the interrelationship between OPF2 and Pinn Court. In the event that OPF2 is permitted in advance of Pinn Court, Millwood intends to lodge a judicial review of the decision.
…..It is my understanding that there claims to have been local consultation over this matter. This I find difficult to understand. I live some 50 metres form the first of the two mini roundabouts, if approaching from the Heart of Oak side on Main Road. In my experience there has been no attempt to obtain my views on this proposed redevelopment of the roundabouts. Consultation could have been attempted to affected householders by letter, leaflet drop or cold calling to households. Here it appears to have been by stealth, whisper quietly about it, post some very small planning application to a non descript lamp post or take out a small advert in a paper if indeed any of them. All of the immediately mentioned methods can hardly be called consulting!
…..Note to EDDC – Advertising of such a large scale developments deserve more than a single notice tied to a lamppost. This is worthy of a leaflet drop to the area, since the long term financial benefits to EDDC through council tax would more than cover this short term cost. EDDC wake up to your moral and social responsibilities and not just the ones that central government dictates!
….For some reason we have been left out of any consultations, only finding out about meetings where we could object, after the event, ..
…..The plans seem to have been little publicised and despite living around a mile from the proposed access road, have only discovered the plans through spotting a dishevelled notice half way down a post at the side of the road.
The British Legion is not there to help you through financial difficulties and people would be horrified that you were effectively putting your hand in the till. You were stealing from a charity and that makes this the more despicable,” she said. “It is extremely disappointing that you succumbed to temptation not once but repeatedly over a significant period of time.
It makes you wonder what the judge might say about a town or district councillor who makes an even more serious error.
East Devon Watch 