Nine Pack

Just got this e mail from our planning consultant today:

Having spoken to the case officer this morning for an update, I am informed that the application is no longer going to the planning committee on 18 March 2008 as planned. Basically, the agenda for this committee has now closed and the comments of the Planning Policy Officer (Chris ****: 01706 ******) are still awaited. I understand that Mr **** has been off on special leave for a couple of weeks but is due back this week.

This means that the application will now go to the committee on 15 April (6:15pm at the town hall). I will, however, try to speak to the policy officer when he returns this week as his comments are fundamental to the recommendation.

So I sent back a rant e mail to which he replied:

Agree with all of what you say Paul. It is sadly all too often the case that local authority planning officers fail to recognise the real financial issues regarding planning applications, and that their delays in issuing a decision can cost thousands as you rightly say.

In this instance, the Planning Officer has confirmed that he has no objection to the proposal in any regard other than awaiting his Policy Officer’s (Chris ****) comments on the issue of addressing Policy EC2. Without these comments, the application is not complete and cannot be taken to the committee. I did not press Robin ******* on the nature of Chris **** “special leave” but clearly such absence must be something out of the ordinary. However, this does not justify the lack of a response in any way given that the application has been lodged since December last year.

I will see what I can do, but the Councillor will have the overriding power here as he is in effect the boss of the employees. Perhaps he can request that the application be taken to the committee as an emergency item?
So we have been in touch with the councillors who have been fully supportive of us all the way about it becoming an emergency item. Only time will tell now, but we may face another five week delay. Honestly, I feel physically sick & want to go on a k1lling spree.

We may decide to just press ahead with the build & open when the planning is granted as I cannot keep delaying the opening date or we risk losing credibility with the masses of people who have enquired about joining. Not to mention the contractors, equipment suppliers etc who are all scheduled to begin moving based on a March 18th decision date.

I'm going to sit in a quiet corner now & have an embolism. I tell you, if you ever really need a stomach ulcer, just submit a planning application to the council, bingo!