howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
"We get permissions and build on sites."
...or not?
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the developer didn't sound too happy about the delay, did he?
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Developers rule the roost not just at Dover District Council.
The Planning Department Officers at DDC do not take kindly to the committee not agreeing with their recommendations.
History proves the Officers will continue to push and persuade that their recommendation should be approved.
Normally the committee finally approve the recommendation.Officers work on the strong opinion that their use of all the gobbledegook at their disposal will confuse/mesmerize the majority of the committee who,to say the least,lack knowledge of all the gobbledegook so the Officers must be right.............................Wrong................
On the Sholden application the committee were concerned over several issues including possible flooding.
eg..The Officers were given absolute evidence that the Maison Dieu Hospital site was on a Flood Plain.
They totally ignored the facts and for three long long years delayed the planning process and continued to try to prove they were right, including convincing the Scutiny Committee on two occasions even after the Government inspector had deemed the site could not be used for a Hospital.Even to this day they would say to me that the Hospital should be built on Maison Dieu.
Rest assured the Planning Officers will not give up trying to convince the committee to follow their advice/instructions!!!!
The Developers will as usual be pushing and persuading!! the Officers to let them build. ( checkout Whitfield first build and affordable housing allocation ) They are very persuasive!!!
Its wait and see time!!!.........................Sholden is not safe yet!!!!
The Planning regulations need reform but not the Coalition way and Planning Departments in local Authorities need total root and branch change including their attitude and control of committees.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
interesting read reg, the officers seem to be put out by the elected representatives disagreeing with them.
the officers normally win in the long run, will watch closely how this one pans out.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
REG;
Good posting boyo
and much as i wouldnt want to muddy the waters any further
the whitfield developement must be under threat.
i do wonder what the action group in whitfield feels on the new legislation?
i think its fair to say i have neve been a fan of the planning dept
and the officers normally just push things through
famous tim flisher taking his usual line of;
"it wasnt me guv, and theres nothing you can do but accept it"
total hogwash, its time the cllrs were consistent and stood up for there communities
sod the unelected officers who dont have to live with the major changes
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
looks the councillors are finally standing up to the planning department keith and trying to defend their areas.
whitfield as far as i know is done and dusted though.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
With regard to the allocation of Affordable Homes in the First build in Whitfield my information is third hand.
It would be of interest to know officially the percentage of the build will be Affordable Homes.
The agreement was I understand 30%.
What decision did the Developers obtain from DDC?
Someone must know.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
howard;
im afraid it will take more than this one off.
look at priory(sure other wards the same)
it changes day by day
no thought it how its changing the community
no thought on local opinion
no interest in any objections
developers given every advice help
the small time member of the public thought of as something like an itch
that gets in the way
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
forget priory keith, everyone else has.
property owners can do as they like and get away with it while the taxpayers throw money at them(not all i hasten to add).
do our new councillors take an interest, do they ever come up here?
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
howard
thats exactly my point
therefore the small stalling issue in sholden im sure is welcomed there
but we have 45 wards including priory
on the issue of cllrs
you did meet the 2 labour cllrs in priory at the clarendon hall
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
and again at the town council offices last saturday keith.
both very charming ladies, neither live in the ward, not had a newsletter or seen anything in the press to indicate how or what they are doing.
are they interested in the ward or just like being district councillors?
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
The Whitfield Developement is not there yet!
Thank you Cllr Vic Matcham Whitfield Parish Council.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
i can speak for one of them(cllr smallwood)who has the ward at heart and plans to get to community meetings, but is also once a month door knocking to find out residents concerns.
dianne will also be guided by local opinion.

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Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Here is my opinion of too many local politicians regardless of their political persuasion or status.
They are only really interested in their ward and electorate when election time comes, how many times do they visit the electorate otherwise.
I know there are exceptions who work hard as we witness on here but too many just want the dubious glory of being called a councillor.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
jan
i think our society s back on track
i agree with all your last post

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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
all too true jan, the weeks leading up to an election they graze and bruise their knuckles on my front door and push through rain forests of leaflets, then nothing.
we had one that took over from keith that was delighted to be elected then was never heard of again, for arguments sake we will call her viv revell.
when keith was a local councillor it was difficult to avoid him he was everywhere and everyone knew him.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
HOWARD;
I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but will say in my 25 years i didnt want to just be part of the furniture.
that said over that time there realy has been some hard working/controversial/or
basic cllrs from all the parties.
i wont name the cllr from deal
but i was at one seminar and watching a slide show with the lights down this cllr nodded off and dropped the cup he was holding lol
hes no longer with us, so no reflection on todays cllrs.
there used to be 3 strong parties on ddc
tory, labour, lib dem
now we see the lib dems very nearly non existent
and the tories/labour fighting the few marginal seats
theres few characters in any of the 2 parties
and thats a loss to us all
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
not all about personalities keith, that chap at whitfield for the yellows got by on his hard work.
sadly he got outed at the last hustings.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
the guy in whitfield(meridith) got found out
he ran a campaign on a closure of an elderly peoples home with no substance
the election before last
this time he got found out
interesting thing is prior to the elections
all tories supported thewhitfield developement
with the whitfield action group still opposed to build in whitfield
and the action group making itself political by siding with the tories, it will be interesting to see if the honeymoon lasts
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