Given the number of comments on this post relevant to 'Emlyn's Barn' I am adding my observations as an update rather than a new post.
Well, I'm a bit lost for words over the decision to approve Emlyn's Barn. I can't have been the only one watching yesterday's webcast unfold with increasing disbelief. The approval, against the recommendation to refuse, went through by nine votes to eight with the Chair, Plaid's Alun Lenny abstaining for reasons best known to himself. What made it worse was that the nine appeared to consist largely of Emlyn's Plaid mates accompanied by his new Indie friends.
I had expected better.
By granting permission they've also bumped up the family Dole assets to the tune of £300k, or whatever a brand new hairdressing salon/holiday let complex, in open countryside is worth. It's so unique, it's probably priceless...
All done without proper planning permission. Cllr Dole must have been so confident he'd get the rubber stamp he didn't even stop the work, the BBC news video shows further work has continued since last week.
I'll link to the webcast when it's up (Ah, here it is, 37 minutes in) and you can see the farce for yourself. It was a Cinderella moment, they made sure the slipper fit, and Cllr Dole squeezed his foot in it.
So what next? As far as residents are concerned a precedent has been set to knock down what you want, build what you want and apply for retrospective permission....if anyone happens to notice. If the council leader can do it, and claim to have done nothing wrong, then surely so can everyone else?
As far as public confidence in the planning process goes, it's as bad as ever. The barking mad planning committee is one thingm to which we've all sadly grown accustomed, but what of the department as a whole? To give just two examples, why wasn't a Stop Notice issued when it became blatantly obvious that Dole's original permission from 2012 was being ignored? Why wasn't a Stop Notice issued when the developer at Blaenpant 'farm', relevant to the Breckman case, decided to carve up a SSSI site?
Far less obvious and far more insidious than the blustering idiocy of the Committee are the delegated decisions and the decisions which involve the latest 'vision' of the council's top brass. Which rather brings me back to the email I referred to below.
How on earth is it that a council, or more specifically a chief executive, block an independent investigation based on confidential information supplied by the public and politicians? The email, which came into my possession during the disclosure stage of the libel case, shows a sinister and calculating attempt to access confidential information, with potential misuse of FOI.
It shows utter contempt for local politicians and the Wales Audit Office and a blurring of the lines between public and private interests.
If there was nothing wrong, and the sackfuls of complaints unfounded, why not embrace an investigation to 'clear the air' and restore faith in the planning system? Answers on a postcard please...
It was written in 2010 but essentially, with Mr James still holding everyone's reins, it could have been written yesterday...
This week's Carmarthenshire Herald takes a comprehensive look at the weird and wonderful world of the Carmarthenshire planning system.
The articles, which are not yet online, detail recent examples of inconsistency and, to be honest, downright mysteries over several recent planning decisions at both officer and councillor level. They also include highly critical quotes from experts in the field of planning.
From the Stradey development to the council leader's 'barn', the Herald is being polite describing the system as a lottery. Whilst planning is not an exact science, the interpretation of policy and guidance, from listed buildings, to major developments and planning enforcement has been curious to say the least and much of it reported on this blog.
Remarks made by planning committee members have been another source of concern, particularly when the decision is contrary to the recommendation. The recent application for a 'One Planet' development, recommended for approval, was refused by the committee with one councillor seemingly basing his objection on the grounds that they shouldn't give permission to every 'Tom, Dick, or Harry'.
A different application, this time for a new farmhouse and recommended for refusal, was approved by committee as the applicants were a 'well-respected' church-going farming family and well up in the ranks of the Farmers' Union of Wales.
Other remarks heard over the years include 'he is of impeccable character', 'at least they're not outsiders' and one of my favourites, from veteran councillor Tom Theophilus, 'I knew his grandfather'. It is quite clear that many councillors lack a basic grasp of material planning considerations, let alone the requirement to approach decisions with an open mind.
Calls have been made for many years for a full and independent investigation into the planning system in Carmarthenshire. However, an email dating from 2010, of which I have a copy, may partly explain why this has never happened, and never will as long as the chief executive, Mark James, remains in post.
In 2010, due to the volume of complaints, the Wales Audit Office were on the brink of such an investigation. They had called for evidence from members of the public and had also received a dossier of complaints from Plaid politicians Adam Price MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.
The investigation was then quietly and mysteriously dropped.
The chilling email, from Mark James to several senior colleagues in planning and legal, reveals that he refused, point blank, to co operate with the Wales Audit Office.
Without even seeing the contents of any of the complaints, (but aware that the two politicians, who he names, had supplied information) he told the district auditor that he was refusing to allow the investigation. He said that following his 'challenge' the Audit office' had 'backed down'.
So that was that. With no reference to elected members, the arrogance of the chief executive, combined with a weak and feeble regulator left the Carmarthenshire public at the mercy of a deeply flawed planning system for years to come. No one was going to dig around in the planning vaults, not under Mr James' watch.
We have to be grateful that his 'powers of persuasion' failed miserably over the pension and libel indemnity scandals last year. Though I'm not sure what happened with Gloucestershire police...they didn't seem to have the stomach to dig very deep either.
Anyway, on the subject of the planning 'lottery', don't miss the next instalment of Emlyn's barn. The webcast will start at 1.30pm tomorrow (Tuesday) after the site visit.
(The West Wales News Review blog has a series of posts detailing these recent planning decisions including coverage of the latest twists in the Breckman case)
Well, I'm a bit lost for words over the decision to approve Emlyn's Barn. I can't have been the only one watching yesterday's webcast unfold with increasing disbelief. The approval, against the recommendation to refuse, went through by nine votes to eight with the Chair, Plaid's Alun Lenny abstaining for reasons best known to himself. What made it worse was that the nine appeared to consist largely of Emlyn's Plaid mates accompanied by his new Indie friends.
I had expected better.
By granting permission they've also bumped up the family Dole assets to the tune of £300k, or whatever a brand new hairdressing salon/holiday let complex, in open countryside is worth. It's so unique, it's probably priceless...
All done without proper planning permission. Cllr Dole must have been so confident he'd get the rubber stamp he didn't even stop the work, the BBC news video shows further work has continued since last week.
I'll link to the webcast when it's up (Ah, here it is, 37 minutes in) and you can see the farce for yourself. It was a Cinderella moment, they made sure the slipper fit, and Cllr Dole squeezed his foot in it.
So what next? As far as residents are concerned a precedent has been set to knock down what you want, build what you want and apply for retrospective permission....if anyone happens to notice. If the council leader can do it, and claim to have done nothing wrong, then surely so can everyone else?
As far as public confidence in the planning process goes, it's as bad as ever. The barking mad planning committee is one thingm to which we've all sadly grown accustomed, but what of the department as a whole? To give just two examples, why wasn't a Stop Notice issued when it became blatantly obvious that Dole's original permission from 2012 was being ignored? Why wasn't a Stop Notice issued when the developer at Blaenpant 'farm', relevant to the Breckman case, decided to carve up a SSSI site?
Far less obvious and far more insidious than the blustering idiocy of the Committee are the delegated decisions and the decisions which involve the latest 'vision' of the council's top brass. Which rather brings me back to the email I referred to below.
How on earth is it that a council, or more specifically a chief executive, block an independent investigation based on confidential information supplied by the public and politicians? The email, which came into my possession during the disclosure stage of the libel case, shows a sinister and calculating attempt to access confidential information, with potential misuse of FOI.
It shows utter contempt for local politicians and the Wales Audit Office and a blurring of the lines between public and private interests.
If there was nothing wrong, and the sackfuls of complaints unfounded, why not embrace an investigation to 'clear the air' and restore faith in the planning system? Answers on a postcard please...
It was written in 2010 but essentially, with Mr James still holding everyone's reins, it could have been written yesterday...
 |
| Click to enlarge |
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This week's Carmarthenshire Herald takes a comprehensive look at the weird and wonderful world of the Carmarthenshire planning system.
 |
| Pic courtesy of the Carmarthenshire Herald |
The articles, which are not yet online, detail recent examples of inconsistency and, to be honest, downright mysteries over several recent planning decisions at both officer and councillor level. They also include highly critical quotes from experts in the field of planning.
From the Stradey development to the council leader's 'barn', the Herald is being polite describing the system as a lottery. Whilst planning is not an exact science, the interpretation of policy and guidance, from listed buildings, to major developments and planning enforcement has been curious to say the least and much of it reported on this blog.
Remarks made by planning committee members have been another source of concern, particularly when the decision is contrary to the recommendation. The recent application for a 'One Planet' development, recommended for approval, was refused by the committee with one councillor seemingly basing his objection on the grounds that they shouldn't give permission to every 'Tom, Dick, or Harry'.
A different application, this time for a new farmhouse and recommended for refusal, was approved by committee as the applicants were a 'well-respected' church-going farming family and well up in the ranks of the Farmers' Union of Wales.
Other remarks heard over the years include 'he is of impeccable character', 'at least they're not outsiders' and one of my favourites, from veteran councillor Tom Theophilus, 'I knew his grandfather'. It is quite clear that many councillors lack a basic grasp of material planning considerations, let alone the requirement to approach decisions with an open mind.
Calls have been made for many years for a full and independent investigation into the planning system in Carmarthenshire. However, an email dating from 2010, of which I have a copy, may partly explain why this has never happened, and never will as long as the chief executive, Mark James, remains in post.
In 2010, due to the volume of complaints, the Wales Audit Office were on the brink of such an investigation. They had called for evidence from members of the public and had also received a dossier of complaints from Plaid politicians Adam Price MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.
The investigation was then quietly and mysteriously dropped.
The chilling email, from Mark James to several senior colleagues in planning and legal, reveals that he refused, point blank, to co operate with the Wales Audit Office.
Without even seeing the contents of any of the complaints, (but aware that the two politicians, who he names, had supplied information) he told the district auditor that he was refusing to allow the investigation. He said that following his 'challenge' the Audit office' had 'backed down'.
So that was that. With no reference to elected members, the arrogance of the chief executive, combined with a weak and feeble regulator left the Carmarthenshire public at the mercy of a deeply flawed planning system for years to come. No one was going to dig around in the planning vaults, not under Mr James' watch.
We have to be grateful that his 'powers of persuasion' failed miserably over the pension and libel indemnity scandals last year. Though I'm not sure what happened with Gloucestershire police...they didn't seem to have the stomach to dig very deep either.
Anyway, on the subject of the planning 'lottery', don't miss the next instalment of Emlyn's barn. The webcast will start at 1.30pm tomorrow (Tuesday) after the site visit.
(The West Wales News Review blog has a series of posts detailing these recent planning decisions including coverage of the latest twists in the Breckman case)