If we don't all lobby a Lord then the Upper House will pass the bill with the disastrous Clause 43 included.
Please read what KS member has to say....
Ken Soc Member22 January 2016 at 17:52
The Kensington Society is calling for residents help them prevent the proposed change in the planning laws. The new Clause 43 of the Housing & Planning Bill will receive its second reading next Tuesday 26th January. So this is extremely urgent.
If approved, Clause 43 will enable the major developers to use their own paid consultants as their private planning "Assessors."
These assessors will have the power to decide if their employers' planning proposals are acceptable. They, not RBKC planning planning officers, will recommend granting planning permission to the planning committee.
Any resident objecting to an application will have to rely on the "integrity" of the developers' paid representatives, to even consider their objections. If the assessors claim not to have received any objections, they alone will be able to grant planning permission to their own clients. Apparently, there will be no publicly available records or website detailing the progress of major planning applications. All queries will have to be addressed to the assessors rather than officers.
Under the proposed legislation, the Town Hall will be powerless to prevent any of this. The opportunities for corruption, public anger and litigation will be endless. Officers will leave RBKC to join the assessor firms and Kensington and Chelsea will be left to the tender mercies of the basement diggers etc.
Residents, please write to as many peers as possible, asking them to ensure that the New Clause 43 is deleted from the Bill.
If approved, Clause 43 will enable the major developers to use their own paid consultants as their private planning "Assessors."
These assessors will have the power to decide if their employers' planning proposals are acceptable. They, not RBKC planning planning officers, will recommend granting planning permission to the planning committee.
Any resident objecting to an application will have to rely on the "integrity" of the developers' paid representatives, to even consider their objections. If the assessors claim not to have received any objections, they alone will be able to grant planning permission to their own clients. Apparently, there will be no publicly available records or website detailing the progress of major planning applications. All queries will have to be addressed to the assessors rather than officers.
Under the proposed legislation, the Town Hall will be powerless to prevent any of this. The opportunities for corruption, public anger and litigation will be endless. Officers will leave RBKC to join the assessor firms and Kensington and Chelsea will be left to the tender mercies of the basement diggers etc.
Residents, please write to as many peers as possible, asking them to ensure that the New Clause 43 is deleted from the Bill.
Done!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness Kensington has a residents association that is on the ball. These proposals sneak into law at the last moment when no one is looking and do untold damage. It is an old trick.
ReplyDeleteHats off to the Kensington Society