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committee's agenda might contain dozens of planning application
to be dealt with that evening. There would be no further participation
by the objector or the person in favour. Four minutes
is all they get to put or defend their case.
Challenging Decisions
The decisions of a Planning committee can always be challenged
by appeal but the loser would then be liable to hefty
costs. On occasion the Council itself has gone to appeal to
oppose an inspector's decision. Sometimes, against its better
judgement, the Borough Council won't go to appeal if the Planning
Inspector had ruled against, because of the fear of losing
large sums of public money if the case was to be unsuccessful.
They rely very much on the professional solicitor who is always
there to advise. I have in the past gained the strong impression
that he is not always entirely neutral and will lead the committee
along to whatever he has personally decided. I have seen from
the public gallery a committee I suspected was manipulated in
this way. Others might not agree, but I know what I witnessed.
Once again properly valid reasons are the yardstick, or possibly,
and more rarely, if the government inspector had a particular
bias. It can be a matter of personal opinion if a proposed building
is in keeping with its surroundings or not. If the inspector
decides it is not, then it won't be built, not this time anyway.
The presumption seems most often overwhelmingly in favour
of approval and weighted in favour of the applicant, particularly
if they can prove there is a particular need in the community
which they can fulfill with their proposal. Local councils are
constrained by the Government to build certain high quotas of
domestic housing. This is on pain of having the decisions taken
away from them by the Government if they fail to meet the target
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