| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST LEADER OF THE COUNCIL 31st July 2013 - the Sahota affair | |
| Posted by: | Victor Mishiku | |
| Date/Time: | 03/08/13 01:50:00 |
As per my earlier posting, I hand-delivered my Formal Complaint to the Town Hall 3 days ago and e-mailed it through before doing so. As yet, I have not received any acknowledgement from Mrs Helen Harris (Head of Legal Services, LBE) either by e-mail or by letter. I have seen the Council's "Pre-Application Advice" general information which states: ------------------------------------------ Pre-application guidance About our service Under the Local Government Act 2003 Ealing Council operates a pre-application charging service for all 'Strategic, Major and Minor’ development proposals. The council acknowledges that many of these development proposals raise complex planning issues. In recognition of this and the desire to deliver better and timely planning decisions, the council operates a structured pre-application service for development proposals. This service enables the council to become more actively involved in planning applications at an early stage. It helps to improve the quality of design, encourage greater public consultation, highlight the main issues, areas of concern and assist the council to process pre-application enquiries and subsequent planning applications more quickly. To ensure that this service is provided to a consistent and high standard, the cost of this service will be recovered from the applicant. The council has altered its duty planner service and introduced charges for advice provided to agents with respect to householder and other less significant proposals. ---------------------------------------- Dr Onkar Singh Sahota was not charged as far as we know for the Planning "Pre-Application Advice" that Cllr. Julian Bell said (at full Council on 16th July 2013) he was given. In fact, I don't see how any such advice could have been given, as neither Cllr Bell nor Mr Noel Rutherford (Director of the Environment Group) are town planners. In another controversial case in Corfton Road (developer Navjeet Singh Juneja), a question of a false Ownership Certificate A and Declaration of Truth has arisen. When residents wrote to Mr Rutherford about this potential criminal offence, Mr Rutherford after initially not understanding the issue, quickly delegated the matter to the Head of Planning, Ms Aileen Jones to deal with. The conduct of the Planning Department has been under scrutiny of late with articles in the press and on this Forum in March and May 2013 and again last month. At the last Planning Committee, a resident of W.Ealing said the following in his 3 minute slot before the case officer's usual developer-favourable report to Committee was discussed: "Judging by the contradictory and inaccurate case officer’s report, our own personal experience and other residents’ experiences it seems that the Planning Department is always on the developer’s side. Residents seem to be marginalised, disenfranchised and dismissed whilst the local environment and Victorian heritage is being slowly and insidiously degraded. We have to conclude that Ealing Planning Department, in conjunction with the developers it supports, leaves a trail of misery, resentment, and anger, in its wake. If it carries on for much longer, Ealing “The Queen of the Suburbs” will have to go into intensive care! Intelligent, moral, and balanced policies are desperately needed!" |