This is the moment to comment on the draft SPD's.
If we don't we have only ourselves to blame......
Consultation on Draft Supplementary Planning Documents –
(1) Basements and (2) Transport and Streets
Regulation 12 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012
The Council adopted a new Planning Policy, CL7 on Basements in January 2015. The Council has now produced a draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on Basements. This SPD provides further guidance on Policy CL7. When adopted this SPD will replace the Council’s existing SPD on Subterranean Development, 2009.
The Council has also produced a draft SPD on Transport and Streets which provides further guidance on a number of relevant Core Strategy policies. This SPD will replace and update the guidance set out in the Transport SPD (2008) and the parking standards set out in the Council's Unitary Development Plan (2002). It also provides additional guidance on streetscape matters that relate to development.
There is a 6 week consultation on these documents, starting on 18 February 2015 and ending at 11.59pm on 1 April 2015. The draft SPD documents, a consultation statement and other associated documents; along with the facility to respond to the consultation on-line can be found on the Council’s website using the link below –
We prefer to receive your consultation responses on-line using the link above, however, you may also respond by email or post using the details below –
Draft Basements SPD
Online – https://planningconsult.rbkc.
Email – planningpolicy@rbkc.gov.uk ; or
Post –
Planning Policy Team
Planning and Borough Development
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington Town Hall
Hornton Street
London W8 7NX
Draft Transport and Streets SPD
Online – https://planningconsult.rbkc.
Email – james.mccool@rbkc.gov.uk ; or
Dame, this is not good enough. These documents are highly technical and beyond the comprehension of 99% of residents. The whole apparatus of Planning is becoming a farce of the scribblers (Officers) talking to themselves, giving arbitrary consultation deadlines, and then pretending that "we have consulted".
ReplyDeleteIt is bureaucracy gone mad.
What we need is a simple paragraph from both Parties (Conservative and Labour), singed by Cllr Paget-Brown and Cllr Dent-Coade, recommending that residents should agree. And the difference between now and the future will be..... (three bullet points max)
Phew
Owl has a good point. One of my most important roles as a Chief Executive was to communicate with the people who looked up to me in a way that they could understand and to listen and sense how they were feeling. And to fine tune the advocacy, if required, to try and get everyone marching in the same direction. Pushing out reports and emails is not the way to grow Society. The Dame's piece makes sad reading.
DeleteThe Borough now has a new style website and the Leader, Cllr Paget-Brown, is now center stage with his blog. There is not a single mention of this apparently important consultation in his blog.
Speaks volumes
Totally agree. I received notice of this consultation by email, tried to read it, then binned it as "too difficult". Having read Owl's comment, I am going to dig it out of the bin and respond by asking them to rewrite it in plain English and resubmit it for further consultation.
DeleteThe only people who have a dialogue with the Planning Policy Team are....
ReplyDeleteThe Planning Policy Team!
It has been said before on this blog that the most important decision facing Cllr Paget-Brown is the appointment of the right sort of person to be Director of Planning. The post is currently filled by the wrong person and this weakness is further exacerbated by a Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Coleridge, who does little to further society, nor does he surround himself with people who could help him to be effective.
ReplyDeletePB needs to sharpen his act and start concentrating on the three priorities of his high Office. Namely strategy, senior staff appointments and governance. At the moment he seems to be all over the place.
Unfair comment. Nick is putting plenty of energy into "meet Nick" sessions and these are even being advertised routinely at the end of all emails from Councillors and Officers. And there is the new initiative of going center stage on the Council Website with the Leader's Blog. This now needs to be populated with serious stuff and is a chance for Cllr Paget-Brown to start inspiring residents. An excellent move would be to make the blog live and interactive for, say, 2 hours every week. Maybe a Monday evening. Residents could blog and have a live dialogue with the Leader. A step further than the constrained and in accessible (for mos), "Meet Nick" meetings
DeleteIs he up for it?
DeleteThe few residents who have bothered to read and comment on SPDs in the past know that they are not worth the paper they are written on. Look through the long list of objections at Planning Committee from the Kensington Society and you will see, time after time, the words "this proposal is contrary to the SPD". But the planning applications are still routinely approved and objections brushed aside.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point? Other than a job creation exercise for overpaid and underemployed Officers.