Back at the beginning of June I complained to the council that they had restricted access to some documents, that I knew to be in the public domain, on their planning website.
I also attached a letter to this complaint explaining that once they had removed this restriction so that I could see all the documents that were there, I would further complain if any of the documents in the planning folder were missing, as obviously I couldn’t complain before I could see everything that was there.
I am coming to the conclusion that the council are delaying dealing with this complaint for some reason, and as the China Gateway application was the one I was trying to view, I am becoming concerned that this relates in some way to the unseemly haste the application appears to be coming before full council.
There is a lot of correspondence about this with the council, so I have only published the most recent, as it is emails you have to read the bottom one first and work your way up click here to read it
News, Local history and Thanet issues from Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate see www.michaelsbookshop.com I publish over 200 books about the history of this area click here to look at them.
A couple of thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI think I remember reading in another post (possibly of yours) that the council keep all comments on current planning applications in Margate Library. I wonder if that would include those comments submitted online.
You might also be able to issue a FOI request for the data. You could do it yourself or use what do they know.
Chris at the moment the only documents that the council publish online are those submitted by the developer, in my opinion that gives the developer an unfair advantage.
ReplyDeleteSuppose for instance the planning folder in Margate Library held only documents submitted by the developer, while the one at the council offices held all of the documents, I am sure that would be seen as prejudicial to the planning process.
What I am working towards here as at the very least getting the statutory consultees documents published on the website.
Quote (from your emails on link)
ReplyDelete"Dear Michael,
The reason your comment is not showing on the UKPlanning website is
due to
Thanet`s public access choices. Thanet District Council choose to
restrict
access to these comments at this case status on the public facing
website.
Kind Regards
Ryan Shearer
UKPlanning Operations Supervisor"
THis is not my area of expertise as you know Michael.
So working from first principles this HAS to be wrong. It seems to me that TDC can distinguish between objections (because a personal interest is at stake) they do not need to make accessible and objections which are in the public interest which they must, by Natural Justice, make available with the developers applications.
The only time I have objected to Planning was over a mobile phone mast. I argued that 2.5% of housing in England are in an anomalous situation inm that they already lay in a zone of radiological hazard from high voltage electricity. Essentiallu for High Voltage power the radiation standard is based on how much the electromagnetic fields can induec currents in yer body. And for mbile phone masts the standard is measured by hgow much the electromagnetic fields can heat up yer cells.
IE One standrd looks at yer body as a transformer whilst the other standard looks at it as an electric fire (Reactance and resiatance)
Both standards claiom to work on a precuationary prionciple (we don't know all the science so we will err on the safe side). But it is impossible to combine two precuationary principles without overall reducing the principle thus disadvantaging 2.5% of householders ?
Anyway the mobile phone mast was taken down.
But my letter was public record as were all objection letters. Mine went on to be used by a councillor to object to a phone mast in another area near high voltage installations.
It seems outrageous that your public interest objections to details of the application should not be given equal public accessibility with the developers application.
Go Michael.
This does indeed seem even more worrying than normal. I suppsoe you know that it seems the LGO has advised councils that they can ignore any persont hey dem to be a "trouble maker". Is there a higher authority that we can envoke (although that would make us "trouble makers"!)
ReplyDelete