Letter: What Is the Point of the Borough Council Planning Committee?

Published on: 4 Feb, 2018
Updated on: 4 Feb, 2018

From Caroline Johnson

David Croft, in his comment on: This Planning Appeal Decision Makes No Sense For Ash & Tongham, has high-lighted a truly ridiculous anomaly in our planning process.

We have elected councillors, some of whom are members of a Planning Committee, and one would assume their remit is to decide on planning applications.

But if they refuse an application, up pops an unelected officer to tell them that their grounds for refusal are inadequate and that they will be over-ruled by an inspector. The choices open to the committee appear to be: allow this development as directed by the officer, or allow this development as directed by an inspector. Or, of course, the final humiliation, take it to appeal and pay court costs and still have to allow it.

It does lead me to wonder why we have a Planning Committee of councillors at all since they are so seldom allowed to use their judgement. As the decisions are all to be made by professionals who are rigorously implementing government policy, what’s the point?

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