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Saturday 28 January 2017

RESIDENTS VERSUS COUNCIL....A BATTLEPLAN

A great comment which all should read.....

We Too Have A Voice28 January 2017 at 09:07
There need to be at least three written objections in order to force the issue out of the hands of Officers (the Brown Envelopes) and into the Planning Committee.

The Planning Committee Councillors (politicians) then need to be made aware of public feeling. Ways of doing this include:
(i) many formal letters of objection which Officers need to publish and reply to (the letters can be sent easily on the Council website)
(ii) speaking against the proposal at the Planning Committee
(iii) letters of objection from the learned bodies eg Kensington Society, and representative bodies eg Resident Associations, also sent via the Council website
(iv) articles in the press (eg Evening Standard) shortly before the Planning Committee
(v) direct emails to Planning Committee Councillors (Officers hate this because they lose control). Generally, there are 5 Councillors on the Planning Committee and the names can be obtained from the Council website a week before the meeting when papers and Agenda are published

Remember that Officers and Planning Committee Councillors generally have contempt for residents who are considered a nuisance and an inconvenience. The system goes to great lengths to suppress objections eg the the three-minute rule which denies objectors the fair time to make their case at Planning Committee, in spite of the fact that the developers have spent months meeting with Officers,figuring out the land, and often stuffing Brown Envelopes.

Objectors need to be well-researched, passionate and bloody-minded. They also need the will power to batter their way into the heads of Councillors like Quentin Marshall (Chairman of the Planning Committee) who love to feel important by moving in the company of the rich and mighty developers and Arab owners of Harrods. And human failure Quentin loves the thrill of "divide and rule".

There are some shining examples of residents who know how to deal with these rodents. Dr James Thomson, Prof Gordon Taylor, and the Dame are a few names that come to mind.

And remember the words of Cabinet Member Cllr Tim Ahern. "Planning in Hornton Street needs to be more resident friendly". 
The Leader, Cllr Paget-Brown, has failed to make any impact on the prevailing culture in his most important resident facing Department. 
Planning in K&C is a "no go" area for justice, common sense, and community interests. 
It is the preserve of rapacious developers, rich exploiters and Brown Envelopes.

26 comments:

  1. Get in touch with Evening Standards London Live. They eat this sort of thing up. They need the coverage

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  2. It's Bore and his free mason friends that need scrutiny!

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  3. 'Public' servants: the irony. Now.... Victoria Borwick? Remind me! Have heard that name bandied about locally but can't for the life of me recall in what context.

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    Replies
    1. Supporter of Borwick29 January 2017 at 10:54

      Local Government Planning Matters are primarily the responsibility of the Council. And there is a convention that MPs do not get involved and rock the boat if they belong to the same Party in charge of the Council. This is good "British" common sense.

      Occasionally there is a maverick MP who just cannot bear to stand on the sidelines and watch wickedness. And they wade in regardless. But they cannot do this too often. Brave soul Victoria Borwick listens to residents more than most and is prepared to go out on a limb. She has spoken out on the Nottinghill Carnival for example and also the Odeon cinema.

      If Leader Paget-Brown would get off his back side and do something useful, he could mobilise opinion in the Council and launch off our MP to agitate for change in the legislation at Westminster. But the puffers are far too interested in themselves and the Brown Envelopes and not at all interested in the hard work of analysis and campaigning for change.

      Victoria Borwick is a huge asset of Kensington that is being under used by Hornton Street. It is a scandal.

      Delete
    2. You been at the gin again? Borwick is out for herself, she is more interested in protecting ivory sales for her antique freinds than residents genuine concerns.

      We have not heard a single statement regarding basements, developers and rogue builders in Kensinton her allegiance is to the coterie of dregs of K&C officers and councillors coining it in.

      It is the duty of the MP to ensure residents get what they pay for. Sorry Supporter of Borwick your comment makes no sense and is lame.

      Dame our MPs need a kick in the backside. Rifkind got quite a few footprints of your heel, why not Borwick & Hands?

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    3. Supporter of Borwick makes an interesting point.

      Leader Paget-Brown could create a Cross Party group to formulate what residents want from planning in terms of development, old buildings, buy to leave etc. A useful group could be EDC, Borwick, Freeman, Amanda Frame, James Thomson, Stallwood and one or two Resident Association Chairmen. Once policy is framed, empower MP Borwick to seek legislative amendments. And select some of our young activists (such as Max Woodger) to mastermind and run a lobby campaign

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    4. Scribe, that's what our Local Plan is - or should be. We finished consulting on it in December, and it comes to Council for debate and agreement in April.

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    5. "Local Plans" have been generated for many years by pen pushers and scribblers in Hornton Street. They are flawed documents and have no bite. They are routinely ignored and have never been read by Planning Committee councillors (with the exception of you, dear EDC, who is always over ruled and "suffered" at planning meetings).

      Evidence: we continue to demolish sacred buildings like the Odeon, we continue to deliver "buy to leave" on an industrial scale, we continue to replace low cost housing with high end casino real estate, etc etc

      No one, least of all the media, has the slightest interest in "Local Plans". It is why we need an ad hoc approach - a special cross party study group comprised of radicals who are:
      (i) awake
      (ii) intelligent
      (iii) engaged
      (iv) passionately concerned about our society

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    6. Scribe is spot on. The Hornton Street establishment is trash. The swamp has to be drained.

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    7. Hornton Street (Counsellers and Officers) are not connected up with residents. They are all just puffing and fluffing.

      Note to Editors: a few exceptions to the puffers and fluffers. eg Mills, EDC, Borwick, Freeman, the Earls Court woman.......

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    8. Fly on the Wall Earls Court Woman is Cllr Linda Wade, Earls Court Conservatives trying to discredit her on this blog because of flak Spalding & Aouane are attracting.

      See EC Spook Comment

      http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/capco-breakfasts-with-paul-raymonds.html#comment-form

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    9. Thank you Anonymous. I have been flying around too much lately and for an instant the name of the worthy Cllr Linda Wade went adrift in my tiny mind. Hornets are well aware of the dirty tricks that the Tories are using to try and discredit this outstanding "servant of the people". Some of their strokes are infantile, but the real scandal is that the rubbish Conservatives are attempting to bolster and support the useless Cllr Spalding who strives to be in every pocket EXCEPT his residents.

      It may come as a shock to Cllr Spalding to know that his days are numbered.

      Delete
    10. Supporter of Borwick31 January 2017 at 16:55

      Anonymous would obviously like MP Victoria to dig a hole, jump in and cover it up again. We already had one of those. It was called Rifkind (Sir).

      Delete
  4. The less said about Mr Bore, the better. Worrying that he is "consulting" in the Home Counties. Too close to home. Could some kind soul find him a job in the Hebrides? Or even the Outer Hebrides?

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  5. Residents and the Kensington Society have been campaigning about the inappropriate planning behaviour in K&C for far too long. It is time for Hornton Street to "get the message".

    Even Cabinet members have spoken out about the destruction to our society and culture.

    When will our Leader wake up?

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  6. Campden Resident, you and the rest are wasting your breath. Only a Trump type person will make a difference.

    The Dame and hornets have shone a light on Hornton Street. It is time for a change. The establishment needs to be drained from the swamp.

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    Replies
    1. as I have said already: Time has come for RBKC proletariat to unite and make their voice heard... Dame could be wonderful campaign leader....
      as for Lady Browick - should seek fewer photo ops.

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    2. If there is hope it lies in the proles

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  7. Banish Bore and P-B to Outer Hebrides... would not be all that bad - Harrods deliver to everywhere....

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    Replies
    1. Could not be the same island. P-B hates Bore.

      Delete
  8. Dear Fly on the Wall, please tell us more.

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  9. Opposite Savills empty property Chelsea market set to be demolished Dame.

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  10. I invested countless hours trying to influence a planning decision. I hired legal counsel, read rules and legislation voraciously and did all the correct steps about researching the planning guidelines etc. Every single step of the way Bore (then in charge) and his officers ruled against our case. In not one single instance did the planning process remotely lift a finger in favour of injured residents. Even when presented with a clear legal case, the planning department hesitated to throw the case out, almost in abject fear of the consequence of doing something negative against development. I have never seen a less democratic or worse run process. The answer is actually quite simple. The processes in place are not ideal but they are workable. What is missing in Councillors sitting on the PAC that will show resolve and rule against the officers. It is really that simple. Come on Councillors - show some resolve.

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    Replies
    1. Seasoned Campaigner31 January 2017 at 10:17

      Three developers have bought up the WHOLE of Nottinghill Gate and are about to knock it all down and replace offices and low cost housing with high end, hugely expensive, buy to leave. The plans include a skyscraper. Locals are in uproar.

      The scribblers in Hornton Street have spent huge amounts of tax payers money consulting and producing a "local plan". They even hired Waterstons to put the plans on display for bemused residents to study.

      When developer proposals came to the Planning Committee I asked how many Councillors had read the "local plan". The answer was none. NONE! NONE!!

      We have a system that is not connected up. Silos inside the planning department are discrete Ivory Towers. Councillors are too lazy and disinterested and busy to bother with the huge amount of piffle from the local planners and busy bodies. No one talks to residents who are suppressed and dismissed and ridiculed in planning matters.

      All of this is a failure of leadership by the Director of Planning (Mr Stallwood) who continues to fail to integrate his Department, by the Leader (Cllr Paget-Brown) who fails to take his responsibilities seriously, a failure of Ward Councillors to connect up with their residents, and a failure of Planning Councillors to do anything other than puff and tick boxes.

      Pass the sick bag, Dame

      Delete
  11. I am baffled at the support Paget-Brown offers to some of his colleagues and why he has not dealt with the problems in his Cabinet. He is not a nasty man, he is not in anyone's pocket. The problem is that he seems to want a quiet life. Maybe that is why he allows ghastly people like Feilding-Mellen, E. Campbell and Marshall to front for him and then take the flak. He should take a leaf out of the Islington book. Problems like buy-to-leave and developers taking 20% profit out of every development can and have been addressed successfully without the full majesty of the law falling on hapless council leaders. Man up, P-B!

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  12. Not only is it time for a change is it not time for some official body or the police to impound all RBKC files and correspondence on planning and check all staff connected with planning? check their bank accounts, meetings they have had any hospitality or gifts provided because as was famously said "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" The only councillor I trust is Linda wade, which is sad to think out of how many there are that I can only come up with one name.

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