Fuller Lambasts Planning Fiasco

Lib Dem Campaigner and Chair of Sandgate Parish Council Planning Committee Gary Fuller has reacted with anger at delays in getting Conservative Shepway's new planning arrangements working.

The new arrangements, which were meant to be in place by May 28th, should mean Shepway Council have all planning applications available for comment online within 24 hours of receiving them. Shepway Council have also stopped automatically sending paper copies of plans to local Town and Parish Councils for consideration, so those Councillors now rely on the online service.

The Shepway scheme, which is aimed at reducing costs, means that all parish councils, interest groups and members of the public in Shepway have to rely on the Shepway Planning website for access to any documentation regarding planning applications.

As Chair of Planning at Sandgate Parish Council however, Gary was shocked to find that two working days before their next Sandgate Parish Planning Committee, no documentation was available for some of the applications to be considered.

Commenting, Gary said:

"Shepway pledged to get all applications online within 24 hours yet they haven't even managed to get some applications online after 24 days. This is an utter shambles! How can Town and Parish Councils consider development applications properly when the details are not even available to them?

"This needs to be sorted out immediately. Without the necessary details being available residents applications will be delayed and the ability of local councils to protect their communities from inappropriate development will be undermined. Relying on a cheaper paperless system before the replacement online system is working properly is Shepway Council putting pounds before people."