Planning Permission

[AllInADay]

I objected to a neighbour's carbuncle planning proposal recently. I've never objected before but I've learnt some interesting and surprising things. I'd always assumed that if you had a financial interest or any other interest where the applicant would benefit, then you needed to declare it. Another neighbour is a close family relative of the applicant and has fulsomely submitted a supportive endorsement of the application. They've also persuaded other people (some not even resident where we live) to support the application. Nowhere in their submissions have they declared their family interest. Therefore, in the list of comments, our objections are completely subsumed by these votes of support from people who were not going to get involved either way before or would not even have known about it.

I checked. Apparently, you don't have to declare a family relationship when you support a planning application. That really surprised me.

No you don't have to declare it. Although Officers and Councillors deciding the application do have to.

If your objection is valid in planning terms, it won't be 'outweighed' by other positive comments. Even if only letters of support are received, PP can still be refused if the proposal conflicts with planning policy.

Just saying "yeah great idea" is about as useful to the planning officer as saying "nah, awful suggestion".

Both sides have to use actual planning considerations for their support or objections to "count".

The general way of doing things here is that the local authority turn it down. It then goes to appeal where the original "yeah great idea" are regurgitated, and then it's passed. From there on, bulldozers and lorries all day for months on end. The council can then throw up their hands and say they tried.

Not much else councils can do , potentially on appeal they may have to pay the developers fees plus the councils it would get very expensive fast if the council tried to go after every development. Councils have been given targets for the number of houses to be built.

In terms of councils having targets, the house would have been affordable for a young family from the local area had Mr Big from the Home Counties not leapt in to buy it an an opportunistically low price before it even went on the market. The house was clearly unsuitable for him size-wise so he is now going to build this ghastly extension. It's an everyday rural housing problem.

Your council sounds a bit crap, tbh. They shouldn't listen to family saying 'it's great', but not should they listen to anyone else just saying 'it's a carbuncle'.

Their job is to see how the plan fits the rules, and act accordingly.

As there isn't a decision yet, it's difficult to know who they've listened to. However, in previous decisions, despite all the arguments about preservation and conservation, they've passed it (mainly after appeal). No-one has used the word 'carbuncle,' not even me, but everyone who has supported it has been passed a careful script to copy by the applicants'relatives which go beyond "yeah, it's great." and uses all the materials, conservation and preservation arguments.

I can't say whether our local authority is better or worse than any others. As a layperson, I was just particularly surprised by some of the things I'd learned along the way.

It will be turned down if it doesn’t meet the relevant planning policies. You could try reading them! Words such as conservation and preservation mean nothing here if the extension doesn’t meet the planning policies of my village. It’s as simple as that. It might not go to Committee either. Delegated powers are used if they are appropriate.

If a planning authority has designated areas for future development, you will get development. If you have few restrictions on the size of extensions, you will get bigger extensions. Here it’s restricted to 40% of existing building as it was in 1948 or original plan if newer. We are AONB and Green Belt.

You sound a tad jealous to be honest. This person just has enough money to do this. Is he not allowed to move from the Home Counties? This is the sort of opposition we encountered when we moved and it’s fairly horrible to learn your neighbours hate you from day 1. We did nothing wrong but just wanted to extend our house, lawfully.

Bubbles Buddy. I would say 'apprehensive' is a better term.