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Planning Decisions Pending Call
(May 24, 2020)In this time of crisis new planning legislation has been introduced by the government to allow the rapid building of hospitals to be built. The virus pandemic has called for this unusual measure but there is also a worrying loss of public access to all planning decisions.
“We are seeing local voices sidelined to video contact with councillor’s meetings, and video conferences of those planners” said former town and district councillor Paul Macdonald.
“This is very worrying and feels so wrong and a very distant way of contacting what is a very important part of getting things right at the moment.”
He argues that it risks short and long-term loss of oversight and poor decision-making especially over planning approvals that could be made about Warminster and Wiltshire.
“This must not be allowed to go on,” added Paul. “Whilst almost all attention is quite rightly directed to tackling coronavirus we must not allow things to slip through while all the attention is on that.
"Especially as people cannot protest or support in numbers publicly at meetings.
“I also do not believe that decisions that are made with councillors from isolated positions sat home is the right way forward.
“I further think that planning officers, experienced as they are, should not be asked to visit planning application sites and then rely on what is written down on paper..
“I believe that all planning applications and a decision about their validity should be put on hold,” said Paul. “After all, surely defeating the virus comes first not planning.”