Community Campaign Hart (CCH) incompetence over the Grove Farm/Netherhouse Copse planning application and behaviour about the Local Plan could cost Hart Council and taxpayers millions of pounds.
Impact of Hart Local Plan delays
First, the Hart Local Plan. Councillors were warned at their meeting last night that a delay to the Local Plan could cost Hart £2.4m in lost New Homes bonus in 2018/19. Of course it was Community Campaign Hart that forced a delay upon us at the LPSG meeting on Tuesday evening. However, there will be a meeting between the council leader and joint-CEOs on Monday 19 December to decide a way forward.
[Update: extract of minuted statement from joint-CEO]
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Grove Farm/Netherhouse Copse Debacle
Now on to the Grove Farm/Netherhouse Copse planning application. This application was due to be determined at the planning meeting on Wednesday 14 December. The planning officers had recommended that planning permission be granted. CCH had intended to refuse the application, but did not follow the correct procedure. They voted instead on a motion to simply delay the determination of the application for further transport studies.
The effect of this is now that the application is ‘not determined’. The developers could appeal the application on grounds on non-determination in the required time. There is a strong likelihood that Hart would lose this appeal.
Even if they manage to fudge this problem and issue a notice of refusal, it is still highly likely the developers will appeal the decision anyway because the officers recommended approval. Realistically, it is likely Hart would lose the appeal.
Financial Impact of Community Campaign Hart Incompetence
The costs of running an appeal are approximately £200K. However, there is a real risk that the Inspector would also grant costs to the developers of a further £200K.
But the costs don’t stop there. New rules mean that if houses end up getting approved on appeal, then the council in question loses the New Homes Bonus on those houses. Councils typically receive around £4,000 per dwelling over a period of six years. So loss of the bonus on the 423 houses in the Grove Farm application could end up costing over £1.6m on top of around £400K in appeal costs.
CCH councillor loses seat on Hart Planning Committee
As a final denouement, it was announced that recent defector to CCH, Richard Woods would lose his seat on the Planning Committee and be replaced by Steve Forster. This is to maintain the correct party balance on the Committee.
It is supremely ironic that the councillor who said that he wanted to:
do what the people who entrusted you with their vote would want you to do to represent them in the fullest possible way
has now lost the very seat on the Committee that gave him the means to represent his voters
In the words of Mumford and Sons:
‘It was your Hart on the line,
You really f****d it up this time’.
Update, here’s the minute of the joint-CEO statement last night, just to prove I wasn’t making it up
Let us hope Cllr Woods and Cllr Kinnell now reflect on what they are now supporting. I also would like them to reflect on the statement they made last month when moving their political support to CCH “Whilst some people may be disappointed, we trust our residents will understand that our ability to represent them robustly together with our personal happiness must always come before Party politics”. I am so pleased personal happiness is put ahead of the whole of Hart’s next generation ability to enjoy the green spaces which are surely now going to be concreted over for ever. These 2 should resign and stand for re-election, only then will we see if their residents support them
Not to mention the proposals to cut aid to those struggling to meet their council tax bills. Those people will find it difficult to swallow if they have to pay more to finance CCH’s errors.
The financial predictions are of great concern to me. HART gives about £500,00 a year to support charities and local voluntary organisations. I shall have to fight hard to keep this level of support up. Especially angry if we have to fight appeals
And a statement in the times from speculative developer Gladman sums up the situation they are leaving us all vulnerable to – confirming their aggressive business model by stating We only target authorities whose planning is in relative disarray. Gladman comes into it’s own where local authorities are in a state of flux, no up to date local plan or confirmed five year supply of consented plots.
What a magnificent balls up, incompetence at its finest!
Not sure on the rules for maladministration. But this must be getting close.
Is it possible to make individual councillors personally liable for their voting and subsequent losses? The Completely Concrete Hart lot seem hell bent on ensuring we lose green space when brownfield exists, whilst wasting as much cash as possible in the process?