Author: simon
Lessons In Planning
Thursday, 3rd May, 2007 at 6:48 pm, Isle of Wight
(I’ve change the original headline on this piece (If You Want To Stop Planning - Act & Show Up) as it was rubbish and I didn’t consider it long enough.)
I wanted to write something straight after the DCC meeting that passed the Cheetah Marine planning proposal last week, but time and travelling just didn’t allow it.
It struck me that the difference between the two ‘controversial’ planning applications up for discussion that night - Priory School and Cheetah Marine - might be worth having a look over.
Priory School - Strong Turn Out
There was a notable difference between the Priory School planning application - one that if not passed, would have effectively lead to the closure of the school - and that of the Cheetah Marine application.
Priory School had substantial support from the public at the meeting in County Hall - probably mostly parents - but still sufficiently significant that extra provision had to be made from those who attended.
Not only was the public gallery full, but an overflow of people was required to be seated in the actual council chamber.
Priory School and its supporters got the outcome they wanted and are now able to continue unabated.
Cheetah Marine - Weak Turn Out
Compare and contrast Priory School with those of us who went to County Hall to oppose the Cheetah Marine application - a total of seven people turned up. Yes, 7 - and three of them were speaking at the DCC! Sad isn’t it?
We found this completely confusing as it didn’t reflect the views and reactions that we had heard around Ventnor, never mind on the forum.
Is Newport really that far away?
What difference does public support make?
You tell me. Draw your own conclusions.
Priory School got what they wanted with strong support - Did Ventnor as a whole get what it wanted with the passing of Cheetah Marine’s plans?
The councillors on the DCC acted as you would expect when they see no public support and voted whole heartedly (it was unanimous) to allow the Cheetah Marine application to go through.
I think they actually rather enjoyed it - many giving Johnny Basildon-Bond disproportionate congratulations for his performance, while the three members of the public who went there to object were left out in the cold.
The Lesson - Act and Turn Up
Here’s a harsh reality that we learned last week at the DCC meeting. If you don’t make your objections known - through writing a letter of objection AND attending the planning meeting - your councillors won’t be sticking up for objectors (well, not from what we witnessed last week, anyway).
Let’s forget the highly questionable statement by Clr. Johnny Basildon-Bond that the section of the car park that will be built on ‘is seldom, if ever full’; let’s forget Clr Gotcha labelling me a spy for having the bare-faced cheek to want to report what was going on; let’s also forget her ability to twist facts, choosing to solely focus on comments that derided those opposing the Cheetah application; let’s even forget the planning department’s Mr Pegram and his tenuous grasp on reality as he proclaimed that the employees of Cheetah Marine were all going to walk to work, and not use any of the spaces in the car parks - none of those things mattered.
Why? Because there were so few residents of Ventnor there to listen to what went on - and when there’s no one there, those people can say what they like, as there’s no fear of repercussions.
Sadly there’s only one thing that people in ‘power’ respond to - the fear of losing that power and losing reputation. With no-one there to listen to them, they don’t need to fear that.
Next time a planning application comes up that you don’t like, writing a letter of objection is obviously a necessary good start but actually turning up at the meeting is key - countable bodies can’t be ignored or denied.
Let’s not forget, once buildings are built and changes made to the town it’s a very, very long time before they are altered or removed - if ever.
Architecture, Island-wide, Planning, Politics, Ventnor
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May 3rd, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Some of us have to work to keep the wolf from the door, that’s reality.
May 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 pm
As it turns out, the Cheetah Marine hearing was at 6pm, when it was expected to start at 5:30, so depending on the hours that you work (and I often don’t finish work until 8:30-9pm, but with flexibility of when that time is spent), not impossible to attend.
Your comment makes me wonder if you think that I’m lecturing. I really hope that’s not the case, as that certainly not my intention. I just wanted to try to draw some attention to how it appeared to work.
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Simon, your comments are worrying because you give the impression that the voting councillors go to these DCC sessions with empty minds, and only speak and vote to reflect the assembled crowd. My impression is that they had already made up their minds because they are the party which supports commerce and seem visibly uncomfortable about turning down anything which brings business.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Oh, if only it were as simple as you make out. The fact is power is money and money is power. If there is a lot of money involved and the right palms get greased then planning applications will get through. It’s always been like that and probably always will be. The only thing that has changed in the last decade is that the world wide web has been invented and information is now much more widely, freely and quickly available so anyone linked to the net can inform instantly or find out easily about the corruption, slease and lying that goes on amongst those with power at local, Westminster or EU level. But that still doesn’t stop it. (A million people marching in London couldn’t stop the Iraq war. It’s not numbers that count; it’s power and money).
May 4th, 2007 at 8:10 am
It’s a stark reminding you give us of the shameful ignoring of public opinion that went on around the Iraq war - shifting a government with a huge majority and a lunatic for a leader must need more that a million people to change direction.
It’s considerably less to shift local politicians and a small planning department.
It looks like Priory School use of determined resistance and the support of a lot of people showing up on the day was successful for them.
Let’s remember that those in property development depend on the public becoming ‘worn down’ by reapplying many times for planning permission. They play the long game - it’s equally important for the public to think in the same way, not resign themselves to think that nothing can be done to resist it.
May 4th, 2007 at 9:01 am
No matter how many people would have turned up at the DCC meeting, the people that cast the votes had already made their minds up in favour of the planning application.
They had to approve {or so they say} as part of previous conditions laid down in the past.
I recieved a 2 page letter dated 20th April from Andrea Jenkins Senior Estates Surveyor for Strategic Director for Economic Development and Regeneration, IOW Council. This gave their reasons and previous agreed conditions to the voting in favour. - See my post on 26th April under simon k.
May 4th, 2007 at 9:06 am
It would take an amazing orator (super human in fact) to be able to present a case in the three minutes that the public have to share (1 min each for CM), and for that to sway the councillors opinions.
I am convinced that, with a great show of public support - filling the gallery and flowing into the chamber - their voting could be swayed.
I’m all for free-enterprise. It gives rise to vitality and vibrancy, but it shouldn’t be supported at all costs. The long term impact on the lives and livelihoods of others should have a large weighting when decisions are made.
May 4th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I have friends in planning (who happen not to be on the Island) who are upstanding and I’m sure would never enter into any sort of corruption, so let’s not paint all planners with the same brush.
Let’s also acknowledge that people driven (mad) by amassing more money (and power in your terms) will stop at very little achieve their goals.
What can be done? A good, simple start would be not letting decisions made under delegated powers (not that this happened in the CM case) not be accountable. (Currently there is never a record kept of how those decision were come to)
We could just resign ourselves to thinking that we can’t change anything, but isn’t the important thing not to give up?
May 4th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Perhaps the lack of attendance reflects that maybe the majority of Ventnorites do not strongly object to the CM plans?
(Am a great believer in the democracy of majority rule)
May 4th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I’m with you on the majority rule as well.
May 4th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Another way of getting what you want is to hack into a website and corrupt it so that all the opposition letters to controversial developments disappear. Then the planners can pass it because no-one has objected.
May 4th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
May 4th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
No, are you sure, just look at the mill bay applications
May 4th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Simon, you are young and optimistic. Those are admirable virtues. I too was young and optimistic once. It’s not rocket science to corrupt a data base or lose data. It happens all the time. Even if it’s lack off foresight not to upgrade your server before data starts to drop off the end, the end result will be the same if you have no paper trail.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
It was done & dusted beforehand.
PS The planning application may not have been made under delegated powers but the decision to sell was.
In a recent development, the IWCC decided to insist that any disposal of their land/property shall be reported to the audit committee.
We have yet to see how effective /up to date this reporting will be . See audit commitee minutes for details, property bargains etc
July 11th, 2007 at 11:32 am
[...] If people turn up at meetings, it’s far more likely that is vote will go in favour of the people who have attended. 1125 [...]
September 19th, 2007 at 7:04 am
[...] Well, lots was learnt from that process. The biggest lesson - when people show their opposition or support at a council meeting, it’s far more likely to go in the direction they want, rather than if they don’t show. (See the difference between the Priory School outcome and Cheetah Marine). [...]