flanagaj

It's a frustrating scenario not knowing whether the case officer is going to recommend approval or rejection, especially, when you are paying for an updated nutrient assessment report and submitting a revised request for nitrate credits form to the council selling credits. All feels pointless if they are going to reject the proposal. I'm trying to remain positive by saying that they wouldn't be requesting this information, but I suspect that is not the case and it's about ticking all the boxes regardless of whether they are planning on recommending to approve or reject the application. It's going to committee even if they do recommend approval as a result of 4 letters of objection.

Is it normal practice for case officers to delay consultee comments from being uploaded to the portal and subsequently sent to the architect for their attention? I'd expect them to be forwarded on the day they come in, not nearly two weeks later.

Unfortunately, it has a 16" diameter

I would not have an issue if we had been given some feedback, but to date we have just had "She has no objection to the principal of development". Which doesn't tell us anything.

Wow. So if you fail to meet a condition of the application, no matter how minor, your planning approval is invalid. Eg, they could in theory make you tear down your house? Surely, not.

So our app was due to be decided on the 28th Feb and a few days before, the planning officer drops the architect an email saying that she need a revised Nutrient Assessment report and provides a query from Highways which was dated from them two weeks before. So we have agreed to another 4 week extension. Someone is not doing their job properly here and I cannot decide whether the LPA are biding for time or the architect is not managing the application very well. Just seems strange that these requests for further information arrive a few days before the supposed decision is due.

I believe it's 2 metres. The neighbour immediately next to us recently replaced theirs and building control didn't have an issue. That would be a disaster and I don't want to consider that possibility.

Worst case scenario if a non TPO tree was felled. £1000 fine? To add context, I need to get the drainage field to the right of the house. It is a long run of 40 meters, but the tree root will no doubt make a conventional field difficult.

Cheers chaps. I'll wait until they (fingers cross) approve and then I'll just fell it. I'm sure a nimby neighbour will inform the council given the application has a tree protection measures document associated with it.

There is a Cherry tree part way down the garden and it's been earmarked to be retained. It's a nice tree and I'd like to retain it, but I think it's going to be a pain with regards to our proposed drainage field. Am I best off waiting until the planning application has been approved before putting in an application to remove it. We are in an AONB and I suspect I cannot just fell it without getting permission. There is no TPO on it.

We are crossing our fingers. It's a very stressful process and also not pleasant knowing that your new neighbours are spiteful.

The planning officer has only divulged "I don’t have a problem with the principle of the development. Until we get all of the consultations in I am not able to confirm that this would result in a final positive recommendation however I would anticipate that if problems arise they could be considered and amendments could be made to overcome them.". So, we'll just have to wait and see. There hasn't been any objections from any of the associated departments who are consulted. Just those of the nimby neighbours. Who are only objecting on irrelevant matters.

I didn't want to start a new post as it is related to our committee meeting. I have real doubts about the in house planning consultant at the architecture practice we are using. He hasn't added anything to the application and recently I sent him some photos to counter the objections raised and he has literally just forwarded the document to the planning officer. Didn't make any tweaks or add anything related to policy to the document. I am no planning expert and I would not expect a planning consultant to do this. Rather, I would expect them to be driving the process. I should have twigged early on, when I read the draft 'Planning & Design Statement' and he had failed to include a key paragraph from the previous granted application, relating to the planning officer's observation, eg "the lane is composed of both single and two storey dwellings with a variety of architectural styles" Given we have our committee meeting mid March or mid April, should I bin them now, or wait until the case officer gives her report. She stated in an email that shoes does not have any objection to the proposal, but I feel like it's not been given the time and detail it deserves.

Unfortunately, a number of them have ganged up and submitted objections. The objection letters are all from the same template, eg, the woman we bought the plot from.

My wife and I have recently had that pleasure 😞 Some folk certainly have a way with welcoming new folk to the neighbourhood! We have this joyous prospect in mid March or April. ps - are there any rules regarding using a stone saw on a Sunday?

It is quite astonishing that local objections can delay applications. Personally, I think the process needs to change so that objections are objectively reviewed and not given any further consideration unless the planning officer feels it deserves further attention. This would then hopefully means less applications going to committee and stop nimby neighbours from stalling applications and having influence regarding objections that are not relevant when policy is applied.

I was under the impression that applications were only sent to committee if there were more than half a dozen objections? I just feel our case officer who via email has stated that she is not opposed to the proposal, is just bidding for time and is kicking the can down the road, as she wants the decision to be made by someone else. She requested an extension to our application and it's now back in consultation for 2 more weeks. This is because biodiversity wanted some photos and a statement to be provided about the site. This has now been provided, but I would not think that would be grounds to put the application back into consultation, giving the local NIMBYs more time to get further objections fired in. All seems very underhand and not actually following any rule book.

Ok. Thanks. We have had a total of 4 objections from neighbours, all of which are using a cookie cutter style template. So not sure why it has been referred to committee. I have also discovered that the sneaky buggers, have put the application back into consultation state. Just feel that they are bidding for time now and the case officer who says she generally supports the proposal, does not want to approve for fear of ***** off the locals, hence the committee. Point noted about the upload of the documents to the portal.

The architect has address these points directly with the case office. He has also raised why committee when the objections don't carry any weight, eg being sited too close to the road, when it sits in the same location as the previously granted application (which no one objected to) ... Will the case officer upload our responses to the portal or is that something our architect can do?

Thanks Alan. "it is going to the planning committee, so prepare." - Is this something we do, or are we better off using the planning consultant? "Fish for the amendments (which consultees have not replied yet?)" - I have not seen any request for amendments in any of the consultee responses. "a couple of supporting neighbours" - chance would be a fine thing

Don't bother. Most neighbours are nimby 🤬. Why should you need their blessing. It's your house and your money.

Just wondering how much you can push and knowing how you push. I sometimes think that the LPA refuse the PP so as to appease the local neighbourhood, knowing that the application will get approved at appeal. I suspect it goes on a great deal and they should be reprimanded for wasting both the appellant's and those who deal with the appeal's time.

So our Architect finally did receive some feedback today, but my excitement was short lived. The LPA Case Officer's response was as follows. I don’t have a problem with the principle of the development. Until we get all of the consultations in I am not able to confirm that this would result in a final positive recommendation however I would anticipate that if problems arise they could be considered and amendments could be made to overcome them. It should be noted that given the number of objections the application has received, under the council’s scheme of delegation if I recommend the application for approval it will need to go to the Development Control Committee for determination. I asked the Architect whether this was positive and his response was as follows. Bit early I'd say. The need for a committee determination not great. Allows for words in corridors by people with local influence! This is frustrating as we had 4 objections from the NIMBY luddite neighbours who for some reason seem to enjoy opposing any changes on the lane. The local parish representative neither objected or supported the application. I was hoping the Case Officer might read the objections and just dismiss them. Here is one objection and they are all pretty much the exact same (I think someone visited each neighbour) "The design now proposed presents a significant change which I and my wife cannot support. The change from a single storey dwelling to a two-storey building, and one that is so close to the lane will be extremely imposing and will be totally out of character with the rural surroundings and the neighbouring buildings in the Lane. The Council has recently refused planning applications for anything other than single-storey buildings in White Lane, therefore we do not see how the Council could permit a two-storey development on this site. In addition, to our objections to the impact of the two-storey development from White Lane, there is also the objection to its visual and environmental impact on the view from the farmland rising at the back which is an AONB" Our proposed dwelling is the same distance from the road as the previous one. The ridge height is the same. The frontal massing of the proposal is less and although in an AONB, you cannot see the property from any of the local bridleways. Admittedly, the trees in the ancient woodland behind the paddock that sits behind can see the property, but there are no public rights of way in the woodland. Plus, at the beginning and end of the land are two 2 storey dwellings. So really intrigued why it needs to go to committee where I suspect said 'words in corridors' might come into play.

We received the below from the LPA Case Officer today and I wanted ask whether this is standard and what direction would people recommend? "I have sent this to Biodiversity today but have to allow them a standard 2 week re-consultation window. I am also chasing the last few outstanding consultation responses. Bearing this in mind, can we please agree an extension of time for the application to 28 February 2025? To confirm, there is no obligation for you to agree to an extension of time. Should the application lapse then it will still be an application that has to still be determined by the Local Planning Authority and would fall within a backlog of similarly expired applications that we are currently dealing with. The advantage of having a timeframe against an application is that a greater priority is given to the determination of such applications because those with a timescale secured against them count towards performance statistics submitted to Central Government. I would reiterate however we are endeavouring to deal with all applications that we currently have within a timely manner, regardless of whether these remain within an agreed timescale or fall outside of this" As to date we haven't received any feedback from the LPA regarding the proposal, even though our Architect has requested this a number of times. Quite frustrating.