"Something is rotten in the state of B&NES"

This evening the DCC voted 7-5 to be minded to permit the Newbridge planning application.

Disregarding guidance that financial issues are not material considerations in planning matters, the threat of losing the DfT funding was the overriding concern. As a result, the application was pushed through.

The fight goes on!

Today's the day...

Today the DCC meet for the third time to discuss the Newbridge planning application.

We have spent hours researching and preparing. This afternoon we have two minute time allocations to get our points across.

The aims and benefits of the proposal have been found wanting. Leaving only one possible explanation for pushing this scheme through - money. Committee members have come under enormous pressure to approve the application. B&NES Council has repeatedly asserted that if any part of the BTP fails then the DfT funding is lost. The case officer responsible for this application has stated that financial aspects are not material considerations and the decision must be on planning grounds alone.

It is so finely balanced we cannot call which way it will go. Or is it?

P.S. The meeting is open to all, if you would like to attend this application is scheduled for 5.00 p.m. at The Guildhall, Bath.

The bigger picture...

In Corby last week, several children with congenital defects successfully sued their local council for negligence. Their mothers were exposed to "an atmospheric soup of toxic materials" that had poisoned the North­amptonshire town when the local steel works were demolished.

The judge, Mr Justice Akenhead, criticised the council for a "dig and dump" approach to disposing of the waste from the former British Steel plant.

In Bath it will be necessary to disturb the 1968 landfill at the Newbridge park and ride, to construct the special foundations required to manage the water issue.

Bath's top performing school lies in close proximity to the site and has over 1000 girls approaching or of childbearing age.

This sort of foundation would not be required for the site south of the river.

Answers, answers?

We have now received a response from B&NES Council to the questions posed in the 27 July 2009 piece Questions, questions?.

These 'answers' have raised yet more 'questions'. We will post the answers and our further questions as soon as possible.

Follow the leader...

Today we were asked the following question,

Q: Do you think that swapping DCC members for ones that are more in line with party policy is tantamount to vote rigging?
A: Oh yes, we do!

During one of our discussions with B&NES' Democratic Services we were told the DCC was supposed to assess all planning matters in an independent way, i.e. without consideration for party affiliation. This has not happened with the BTP applications.

Furthermore, it is unprofessional for some DCC members, regardless of their political allegiance, to have not even read associated documentation or visited the sites connected with a major project such as this.

The more we’ve investigated this planning application, the more we are convinced there should be checks and balances in place to prevent the abuse of process that seems to be going on.

Planning application notes

We are grateful to one of our team for going through the planning application report attached to the Agenda for the DCC meeting on 5 August 2009.

Click here and go to page 25 to view the report. An in depth analysis in note form can be found here.

Extra, extra - read all about it!

We have frequently been told that ruining one's view is not a material consideration with regard to planning issues.

If that is the case, why are the Government reviewing council tax rates in order meet the costs of council employees' gold plated pensions among other things? One of the proposals is to increase the tax for residents with uninterrupted views.

For more information on the so called 'patio tax' visit thisismoney.co.uk.

Needless to say there is no mention of a rebate if the Council defaces the countryside with a 1000 space car park.