Un-elected Politician Over-rules Planning Committee

[nipper]

The Planning system we have in place allows that the ultimate decision be with the DoLGE Minister (or his representative).

 

It seems reasonable that this is normally only ever used in the case where the Planning Committee refuses an application but the Appeal approves it,

or

where the Planning Committee approves an application but the Appeal refuses it.

 

ie. where the two bodies do not agree.

 

Recently there have been 3 cases where the Planning Committee and the Independent Appeal agree . . . . . but then the Minister has come along and over-ruled them.

 

In one particular recent case a Planning Application was refused by the Planning Committee. Their decision was ratified at Appeal. Then the Minister John Shimmin (presumably because the application was in his constituency) allowed his representative Dudley Butt MLC to make a decision that over ruled both.

 

If the Government can trust neither the Planning Committee nor the Independent UK Appeals Inspector to make an informed decision, especially when they agree, then what is the point of a Planning system?

 

Source and reference:- Question in House of Keys this morning:

 

4. The Hon Member for Michael (Mr Cannan) to ask the Minister for

Local Government and the Environment -

For the period 1st September 2007 to date –

(1) How many planning applications, refused by the Planning

Committee and then refused by the independent UK Appeals

Inspector, have been subsequently approved by either yourself

or your appointed person; and

(2) on what grounds have these approvals been given?

 

The answer from John Shimmin the Minister was slippery spin that Tony Blair would have been proud of. It was something on the lines that this sort of thing didn't happen very often and the decision was only marginal?

 

Like being only a little bit pregnant, I wonder.