Hastings Planning Dept

in Forum > Writing to the Council re ASDA

biscuits 27 posts Wednesday, 02. July 2008 07:54PM

It looks as though the planning dept at Hastings Council has completely given up posting any objections. None have gone on their website since the 27th, and none of my objections - two letters and four emails have made it up there yet, despite them being between three weeks and ten days old. Hopeless or what?

carolnjohn 34 posts Thursday, 03. July 2008 04:14PM

It's all very strange isn't it? Normally it takes 3-4 days but since Asda submitted their application all the staff have gone sick and there is no staff to do it, (so they told me). Also no letters in the Observer. Also Jean Sullivan allowed to have her say despite being promised a gift of a parcel of land and her letter dated before the application, so what staff there is at HBC is selective. I have made an official complaint concerning the behaviour of one councillor who has been bought by Asda and who is allowing leaflets supporting Asda to be distributed. If they can happily finance a councillor, what is to stop Asda suggesting a sickie or two? Or is it all a coincidence?

biscuits 27 posts Friday, 04. July 2008 09:32AM

I've just emailed Cllr Lock on the delayed postings, I'll report back when I get a response.

gaby 115 posts Saturday, 05. July 2008 02:22PM

There are lots of letters of objection on there now. However, efficient as they are, some of the letters are doubled up. Mine is on there twice for example. Three of the petitions have been lumped in together as one. All a bit of a shambles. Nevertheless, there are still only 3 comments in favour. There is a letter from the solicitors acting on behalf of Bausch & Lomb, which is very encouraging.

There is also a letter from DVS, which worries me slightly. For a start they say that they and several other Ponswood Firms (and I know that one of the owners of Plastica and Plastipac was one of them) wrote to the council last year to raise their objections. That letter, of course, is not published. I'm guessing that it hasn't been published because it was not received within the council's public consultation period, but I will raise this point and try and find out what happend to this letter. At the very least I would like to ensure that the Councillors on the Planning Committee have read it.

DVS then go on to say "I now accept that this is and has always been a 'fait accompli'..." Um. Why? I
wrote to Peter Pragnell over a week ago and raised my concerns about the number of people I have spoken to who seem to think that the Councillors have made up their minds and that the public consultation is a farce. He has not yet responded but I may well forward this letter to him to substantiate my point.

I've just come back from a week's relaxing holiday but my calm is disappearing fast...