Claire Upton-Brown – the Head of planning for Guildford & Waverley, has acted to extend the period for comments on an Ewhurst planning application, which has provoked villagers’ fury.
Residents’ outcry prompted Cllr Liz Townsend Waverley’s, Planning Portfolio Holder, to call for action to extend the period for comments on the 14-home Hilltops, Mapledrakes Road scheme. The required public notice had not been posted.
Two former Surrey County Councillors want to demolish a bungalow in the village they once claimed they tried to protect from development. Two applications from Alan and Victoria Young have already been refused, and a Government Inspector refused one at appeal. (Full details of the application and reasons for objection are in the link below) the entrance is pictured above.
Former Surrey County Councillors seek consent for homes… again!
However, the latest outcry from villagers calls for Waverley Planners to ensure proper public notification.
Villagers raised their concerns that the applicant or his agents, the Crownhall Estate, had failed to post an official Waverley notice at the site. This failure is becoming an all too frequent occurrence by applicants and developers!
Waverley’s Head planning honcho responded immediately, the applicant was notified, and the ‘white no longer the more striking luminous yellow’ notice was posted.
During this time, Waverley Planners extended the consultation period
from 16 July until 2 August.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it law when applying to build 14 new houses at Treetops Mapledrakes Road Ewhurst, you are supposed to put up information about your planning application on the boundary of your property to give the wider community of Ewhurst a chance to object or support this application?You know the bright yellow application! Isn’t this in breach of planning? How are people who didn’t get a letter or don’t have an online presence supposed to make a judgment if they don’t know about it?
Given that we only have until 16th July, should the process be stopped ?? This is bad form and a bit sneaky if you ask me.
Objections on the planning portal can be made using the application reference:
Former county councillors bank on Government Inspectors to back their Ewhurst development.
Usually the LPA sends the Public Notice to the applicant with instructions that it must be displayed on the site boundary, visible to members of the public. Normally, it would then be the responsibility of the LPA’s case officer to check this has been done correctly, when he/she makes their site visit.
So one must ask why it was left to residents to discover the rules had not been adhered to. Neighbours of adjoining properties are written to by the LPA.
The Town and Country Planning Procedure order 2010 requisite notice—
“(a)by site display in at least one place on or near the land to which the application relates for not less than 21 days; or
(b)by serving the notice on any adjoining owner or occupier.”
The local planning authority has the discretion to be more helpful!
But then what Planning Authority needs to bother with the inconvenience of reading and complying with their legal obligations, where efficacious self regulation is absent? As in this case it requires councillors to act with integrity in the interest of their ward residents.