Drellingore Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Our controversial planning application drew the ire of the AONB management unit and the Parish council (I'm not sure if they just followed the AONB's lead though). We wanted to change the shape of a non-designated heritage asset in an AONB so that we could use straw bale construction, sequestering carbon in the process and using local materials. I figured that the conservation officer would be aghast, but I had a blind spot for the AONB management team prioritising an aesthetic from a very narrow window of history over generally saving the planet. We've garnered enough local support from neighbours (including the farmer who was born on the site and worked it for decades) that they've put it to committee, despite the planning officer wanting to reject it. Our planning consultant wants to charge extra for this leg of the journey, which I think is fair enough? We were going to take it to appeal anyway, and were prepared to pay charges for their help with that process. I'm in two minds about the opportunity to speak to the committee though. On the one hand, I'm not a planning professional. On the other, I've read the entire NPPF, local plan, AONB management plan, I've given multiple conference keynote speeches and TV interviews, and most importantly I'm passionate about the proposal. Should I make a case to be involved, do you think? Also - thanks to those others who previously shared their committee experiences on BuildHub, it's been informative/horrifying/exhilarating reading what other people have been through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 You attend . Use your 3 minutes wisely ( assuming that’s still the rule ) Your architect does the technical talk you do the “ heart felt “ talk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I would. Who cares about this more than you? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) Surely planning is about legal technicalities, not emotions. Edited March 13, 2023 by SteamyTea 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canski Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I would attend it will be like attending the birth of a child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 do you have support of the voting councillor that covers your build? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Yes attend. I think it looks like a great scheme. +1 to @Dave Jones if you can get a councillor on side it can help considerably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonner Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Definitely attend, some people will say things behind your back that they won’t say if you are there. 28 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Surely planning is about legal technicalities, not emotions. It should be but in reality people have to make decisions and they are subject to being influenced by what other people say. Politics in other words. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Well we went to committee and supported by a councillor but when it went to a vote he voted (with the rest) against it and would not look me in the eye 🤯. I heard on the grapevine they were told which way to vote!!. Regarding emotion my (ex) wife told the story about how the site was owned and lived in by her father since the war and she always wanted to eventually move back there, they did not give a toss. A neighbour who objected then told lies about the site/build but we were not allowed to question the allegations so they were taken at face value. Bastards. Still I went to appeal and won hands down and the planners got a bollocking for not abiding by their own guidelines (smug emoji). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drellingore Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 57 minutes ago, Dave Jones said: do you have support of the voting councillor that covers your build? I don't think I even know who the councillor is, and who the committee is made up of. Any ideas where I'd start looking to find out? I guess I should also sit in on a committee meeting before mine to gather intel on how they work. 56 minutes ago, Mr Punter said: I think it looks like a great scheme Thanks, that's kind of you to say. 20 minutes ago, joe90 said: Well we went to committee I think yours was one of the accounts that I read before posting (if so, thanks for sharing). Sounds like an absolute mission, but I'm very glad you got there in the end! I wonder how many of these committees are made up of people throwing their weight around thinking that no-one will bother to appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 5 minutes ago, Drellingore said: I wonder how many of these committees are made up of people throwing their weight around thinking that no-one will bother to appeal. The planner even told me I would probably win if I went to appeal, beggars belief really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: Surely planning is about legal technicalities, not emotions. No . At the BS meetings any objecting neighbors will do their sob story . He must do his ….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Cast iron rule. You attend. Cast iron rule. You make your case. Cast iron rule. You make every single word of the case count. Cast iron rule. You practice what you want to say in front of a competent Critical Friend. Cast Iron rule. Make them reject you , dont by your absence make it easy for them to reject you. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 At my appeal one of the committee members didn’t understand the plans ( wft ! ) . So voted against rather than abstaining- w a n k e r . Lots of neighbors said they would turn up to object and have their 3 minutes . But very few did ; they spoke shite ( how upsetting it was blah blah blah ) . Op must say why he wants it “ longtime dream “ , “ quality build “ , “ we need more self builds “ etc etc I.e milk it . Architect deals with technical merit . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 minute ago, pocster said: Architect deals with technical merit . When I said 2 hours ago, SteamyTea said: legal technicalities I was referring to planning law, no one gives a toss if it is made from platinum or dog turds, or worse, straw. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattg4321 Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, joe90 said: Well we went to committee and supported by a councillor but when it went to a vote he voted (with the rest) against it and would not look me in the eye 🤯. I heard on the grapevine they were told which way to vote!!. Regarding emotion my (ex) wife told the story about how the site was owned and lived in by her father since the war and she always wanted to eventually move back there, they did not give a toss. A neighbour who objected then told lies about the site/build but we were not allowed to question the allegations so they were taken at face value. Bastards. Still I went to appeal and won hands down and the planners got a bollocking for not abiding by their own guidelines (smug emoji). Sounds extremely familiar to me. Total shysters some local councillors ime. The councillors (all one party) unanimously refused it. Some clearly had not been to site/didn’t know where it was judging by comments. Local councillor spoke against it, neighbours who put him up to it didn’t show up. Says it all really. We even had the support of the planning officer. Who then had to argue it should be refused when it went to appeal. Ludicrous really. Needless to say we won at appeal, very nearly also winning compensation from the council. Edited March 13, 2023 by Mattg4321 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 minute ago, SteamyTea said: When I said I was referring to planning law, no one gives a toss if it is made from platinum or dog turds, or worse, straw. But there’s lots of emotion at a planning meeting . You need the deliberate “ non technical “ side aswell . I was originally going to go technical along with architect . But we decided a dual approach from different aspects was better . On my planning committee as I’ve implied some had very little if any planning knowledge ( f knows how they get on it ) - so you need to appeal to them also . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I think what helped me with the Parish Council was making sure they knew I wanted a house to live in myself and wasn't a developer after a fast buck. Perhaps get your consultant to begin by saying he represents the xyz family that love the area and want somewhere nice and energy efficient to live, not a developer etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Find out who your councillor is and get them on side ASAP. The chair will ask if they want to comment as the local representative so you need to know if they are going to shoot you down and be prepared for it. Remember ONLY planning policy is relevant. Nothing else. If it goes against you the more (expletive deleted)ups they make that you can use against them at appeal the better. Personally if there is a remote chance of rejection id be employing a planning specialist to present on my behalf. They will ensure grounds needed at appeal will have been highlighted in the correct manner at the meeting. No playing games with this you need the right people. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Jones Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 9 hours ago, Temp said: I think what helped me with the Parish Council was making sure they knew I wanted a house to live in myself and wasn't a developer after a fast buck. Perhaps get your consultant to begin by saying he represents the xyz family that love the area and want somewhere nice and energy efficient to live, not a developer etc. parish councils are irrelevant. they have no more weight then joe public. 99% of the crap they come out with locally arent remotely relevant to planning policy anyway so can be safely ignored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Dave Jones said: Find out who your councillor is and get them on side ASAP. +1. Without the support of my local councillor I doubt we would have been successful with our application at committee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jimbo Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 My own expierience was.... My Parish council object to virtually everything because we are in the Greenbelt. If they object then it has to go in front of the planning com, if the planning officer wants to support it. My local councillor usually advises the planning officer that he can refuse it under delegated powers, but that if he wants to support it, he want it called in. Unfortunately, the planning officer usually just goes with the Parish Council, "Over development in the Green Belt" because it's the easy option, and less work. In my case, the Parish Council objected, but the planning officer supported it. This ment that it was going to go in front of the Planning committee at the council. I'm told by a couple of local Planning consultants that the Planning Committee usually vote in line with the planning officers recommendation`. In my case , (A ZOOM meeting) i found that the committee members were not all a bunch of old crusties, I did use my 3 minutes to address them. They voted 11 to 2 in my favour, but as previously stated they basically went with the Planning officers reccomendation. If i was you, i would speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jimbo Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 My local councillor was against my proposal. I reached out to the other members of the panel, who i found on my council web site. I sent them copies of my plans, and a statement telling them why i wanted to do, what i wanted to do, and asking for thier support. Might not do you any harm. First thing i would do is try to find out if the planning officer is going to support your application. If so, i think you are more than half way there. If the planning officer is not going to support you then, i personally think you will have a very limited chance, and it is even more important to try and get as many people on your side as you can. In life the majority of people will take the easy option. Easy to support what the planning officer recommends. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jimbo Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Dave Jones said: parish councils are irrelevant. they have no more weight then joe public. 99% of the crap they come out with locally arent remotely relevant to planning policy anyway so can be safely ignored. I wish that was the case. Planning officers often take the easy option and go with the Parish Council. Many councils opperate on the basis that if the P.C. objects, but the planning officer want to support, then the application has to go in front of the committee for a vote. That then adds a whole new set of people with little training that gets to decide your future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 9 minutes ago, Big Jimbo said: I wish that was the case. Planning officers often take the easy option and go with the Parish Council. ... I'm not sure that's universally true Jim. For example our LPA has publicly said that they no longer take PC feedback into account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now