Planning Application Update
At the last meeting, 25 June, the Committee voted 3 against and 2 for the plans with 1 abstention. It was then decided that Council officers were to present a supplemental report setting out the reasons for refusal and the implications of the decision.
So you may have gone away from the last meeting under the impression that the application was to be refused – maybe not it seems….LBTH planning department have their own ideas.
It appears that the unelected and seemingly unaccountable planning officials at Tower Hamlets have been busy at work over the last few weeks and have arranged for the planning application for our estates to be handed back to Eastendhomes to be “given chance to amend their scheme to address the concerns of Members”. (Note not concerns of residents)
Any information relating to the progress of this application has been extremely hard to come by for we lesser mortals – the public. The agenda for the 4th August makes no mention of the application. None of this would even be known to us without the help of some sympathetic Councillors and the people at London Planning Aid who have been looking at the case for us. Planning Officers will ask the Members permission on the 4th to hand back the plans to Eastendhomes. If Members agree then a revised scheme will be drawn up and will be consulted upon for a period of 21 days before being taken back to a subsequent planning committee.
We did ask the case officer to comment on the acceptability of this line of action when the members of the Strategic Development Committee have voted against the plans, the nature of the consultation and more details of the actual reasons for the rejection. The officers would have to provide legally water tight reasons for refusal as Eastendhomes would have the right to challenge this decision. Unfortunately the officer has gone on leave from last Friday (as he did before the last meeting) and has not had time to address our questions. He has promised to respond on his return (so it is not “leave” in the Martin Smith sense). Surely a little late.
Read about planning experiences on St Georges Estate – click here
