Councillors attitude to development and how it affects votes
From the Financial Times -Distrust of councils and developers
By Tom Griggs
Published:
Housebuilders may be frustrated with local councils for their failure to grant planning permission for new developments, but most Britons distrust councils and developers for being in each others' pockets, according to a survey. It found nimbyism to be alive and well, with 83 per cent of respondents to a recent survey saying they wanted no more development in their local area, and 58 per cent saying that councils and developers were too close.
In addition, the survey said a councillor's attitude towards development was a key factor for 70 per cent of voters ahead of the council elections in May.
Nick Keable, managing director of Saint Consulting, which conducted the survey, said the message from the survey was clear.
"Those engaged in development, across all property sectors, need to stop moaning about how councils refuse their applications," he said. "They need to understand public opinion and then react to it by changing the way they operate.
"Councillors are not recruited from Mars," he added. "They simply reflect the wider public attitude."
The Housebuilders' Federation said the time taken for a planning application to be approved was excessive and the relationship could hardly be described as "pally".
posted by Fighting for East Devon's future @ 4:18 pm
4 Comments:
How many councils agree in advance to sell key plots of land to Developers in advance of Planning applications and with no proper consultation or debate with those most affected ie. the local community?
The sad answer to that is, unfortunately, quite a lot. It seems there is nothing at all to stop you doing this.
Judge and jury.
Councillors are, generally, members of their local community. Therefore when they are told - firmly and often - that their community does not want a proposed development you might expect them to oppose it. If the application is in accordance with local planning guidance they may have to accept an application anyway. They do NOT have to do so when an application breaches local planning guidnace. When an application breaches planning guidance it should be refused. If it is accepted then it is inevitable that there will be suspicion of corruption.
Unfortunately for us, the executive power on deciding local planning applications is held by councillors from across all east devon. The "local" interest is thus diluted.
Worse still is that the final advice given to these elected representatives comes from non-elected officers who may or may not, be operating to an agenda of their own and so might try to weight a decision at the extreme ends of any local plan.
How about this scenario:
Town A has a capacity of 3000 but the regional agency would like 3500 on it. Town B has a local plan for 300 houses of which 150 have been built, and land is available via a developer.
Regional agency pressures district councils officers (not the councillors) and together they come up with a plan for town B to take the extra houses, thus saving town A, and more important for the council, face.
Of course its just a scenario...
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