Letter: Why Not List Planning Applications?

Published on: 19 Jun, 2016
Updated on: 19 Jun, 2016

From Eddie Ward

Is there any possibility that The Guildford Dragon NEWS could publish the planning applications that are sent to Guildford Borough Council for approval?

Response:

Guildford Borough Council has a statutory obligation to publish planning application notices, along with certain others, in a local printed newspaper. Currently, the only local printed newspaper is the Surrey Advertiser which the council pays a considerable sum each year, quite rightly, to carry the adverts.

Legislation has yet to catch up with the reality of the digital age and such ads could, we believe, be carried much more effectively on-line, within competing parts of the local media, to complement the council’s planning application section of their website.

The council also places non-statutory adverts, for instance to advertise events. These can be placed anywhere. To date, since The Guildford Dragon’s creation in 2012, the council has placed only one advert on The Dragon, at our suggestion, to advertise, Armed Forces Day, last year.

The council’s budget for such advertising is understood to be worth tens of thousands of pounds annually. Ed

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