A Sandgate Planning Application

Browsing Twitter this morning, I passed a message from the very useful www.twitter.com/shepwayplanning (useful, if you like that kind of thing).

Y15/0457/SH : 96 Sandgate High Street, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3BY: Change of use from shop, (Use Cla... http://t.co/6SFxailA9Q

- Shepway DC (@shepwayplanning) May 13, 2015

Now, I see lots of planning notices: I'm that sort of person. Yesterday, I was even re-elected to the Sandgate Parish Council Planning Committee. This one did cause more than some interest though:

• It's in Sandgate
• It's for a new pub
• It's for a new pub next door to my home and business

Now: you may be expecting the remainder of this article to be a NIMBY rant. But it really won't be: I have in my past even run a pub very close to neighbouring houses, and if it was OK for me, it can be OK for them. Sandgate High Street is an excellent place to come and eat and drink, and the more venues to do so the better: I like seeing Sandgate thrive, I like seeing new businesses, I like pubs.

And actually, I don't usually comment on planning applications in advance of their discussion by Sandgate Parish Council as a consultee. On this occasion though, when it comes up for discussion I'll be declaring an interest and leaving the discussion and vote: it's too close to my own property to be objective. I don't know the new business owner (he did pop in and say hello when first looking at the property), but there is clearly a potential conflict of interest, so I'm outta there.

Of course, I'm going to respond to Shepway Council directly, as a neighbouring resident, asking them to make sure the right conditions are in place to keep it quiet (as the application promises it will be) both inside and outside, and ensure that smoking outside the building doesn't lead to noise for neighbouring residents and doesn't cause littering, and that both are enforced. I hope that's not wildly controversial!

It does feel a bit off however that I learned of the application to turn the building next door to me by happening to read a tweet. As a next door neighbour, I must be notified of the application - indeed, there is a list on the Shepway website (http://searchplanapps.shepway.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application) for application Y15/0457/SH of the people they've asked for feedback, which includes me. However, as of this morning, I've had no notification yet. Now I'm sure it'll get to me, and other neighbours, soon. But is that quite in the right order...?