Planning consultant

[Barrykearley]

It's a disgrace and all designed to rip as much out of folks up front as possible.

the younger generations are getting royally screwed over by our completely broken political system. 

The chicken shed I'm currently wiring - the application fee alone for that was in excess of £30k - just because they consider that a warehouse !!

[Barrykearley]

Appeal has been validated - and the council have submitted their response questionnaire - helpfully littered with factual errors on their part !!

[march]

How's it going Barry.

Unbelievably our neighbours have just been given their planning permission. So here is how to build your own really cheap house in a National Park:- Lie, Ignore, Bully, be abusive, live there without planning permission, get kicked off the land when living there (several times), change the name of the place and ignore all previous correspondence, shove some cattle in a barn for a year, claim to be running a business, get a land agent to write a letter, then get planning permission. Easy. It's not even as if they are from local farming stock - they moved here from Surrey, he was a second hand car salesman.

There is something really really rotten in Dartmoor National Parks planning department - especially when they kicked someone out for doing the same thing with a lot more land across the village from us a few years back. One of our other neighbours has been has been trying to get us meet the Head of Dartmoor National Park on a social basis (apparently he is a really nice guy) - could be an interesting conversation if it happens as I doubt it will remain civil for very long.

The more I look around the more I see the state seeming to penalising decent people and benefiting cheats, crooks and people who are only in it for themselves at the cost of others - this could morph into an anti EU rant so will leave it there. Being decent definitely doesn't pay these days.

[Barrykearley]

Haha - @march - Marc you have hit the nail on the head.

Well we do have progress so far. 

I have planning consent to convert one stable block into a 3 bed unit up by our house. Planning for another one has just closed the consultation period and we should have a decision by the end of June.

The other barn which is further down from us - and ultimately the only one out of the three I was only interested in converting is now in the appeal system. Final written stuff needs to be in by 1st July - and the lpa have submitted all their stuff so it's just me to send some more information in now - and then it goes to the appeal officer for a decision. Fingers crossed.

It now has me frustrated and annoyed - I will be doing the other barns now if I get consent on the second one. Building a nice new garage complex - which they can't refuse and applying to build a new 100ft by 60ft agri building further down on our plot - and again that can be done on a 30 day farm notification. So the lpa refusing consent will ultimately just lead me to spend more and develop more our plot !!!  Oh well....... Might sell up and do it all over again to be honest

[march]

41 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Might sell up and do it all over again to be honest

Completely understand this sentiment. As a note they can still refuse permission under the 30 day notice applications - they just have to do it within the 30 day period. If you go for it put the planning submission in and then keep very quiet until you go past the 30 day period, if they are anything like Dartmoor National Park planners they are so useless they will probably forget to do it before the 30 day period is up (like they did for us) and then they have to give it to you. With ours they actually back dated the planning consent to the last day of the 30 day window (that's not bent or possibly fraudulent of course!). As we got the permission we didn't take issue but it just shows the type of people we had to deal with. Would suggest you actually turn up on day 31 if you have not heard anything by then and demand to see the paperwork before they can back date any decision.

[Barrykearley]

I'm tempted to put the 30day notice in for the big shed now - using the same road access as the refused barn is using - just something about it wants me to do it..........

 

the lpa have now written to the planning inspectorate to clarify the parking onsite - which they said there was none. They have now acknowledged there is "limited" parking - yeah open a farm gateway where you can park 2-3 vehicles and take your pick of 4 acres to park on!!! They are also recommending internal inspection - which suits me - since its full of hay, hurdles, lambing sections, worming kit, shearing kit and a tump of fleeces...... bring it on numpties - clearly in agricultural use !!

[Barrykearley]

Planning consent notice came today for the second unit - looks like the esprit will be homeless !!!

just awaiting the appeal decision now.

[Barrykearley]

Appeals inspector visit now booked for 11/7/16

It would appear a request for the local planning authority to be present has been refused and he will visit the site alone.

nervous times now.

[Barrykearley]

So - a week or so ago I sent in samples of external materials to discharge the conditions on the buildings we have consent to convert. This morning I get an email saying this - I'm absolutely flabbergasted - if a commercial company acted like this they'd be shut down !!

 

 

Further to your e-mail to Darren Preedy. I am writing to inform you that there is a charge of £194 in total for the application for Discharge of Conditions. Each application being £97.00. Payment can be made on line (this should be paid as separate payments relating to individual application) at www.herefordshire.gov.uk; by cheque made payable to Herefordshire Council or by telephone 01432 260000.

 

Once payment is received I shall progress the applications.

 

 

[Chillidoggy]

Tell them you're a V8 owner, they'll realise you're skint, and waive the charge.

[Daniel]

On 7/26/2016 at 09:19, Barrykearley said:

So - a week or so ago I sent in samples of external materials to discharge the conditions on the buildings we have consent to convert. This morning I get an email saying this - I'm absolutely flabbergasted - if a commercial company acted like this they'd be shut down !!

 

 

Further to your e-mail to Darren Preedy. I am writing to inform you that there is a charge of £194 in total for the application for Discharge of Conditions. Each application being £97.00. Payment can be made on line (this should be paid as separate payments relating to individual application) at www.herefordshire.gov.uk; by cheque made payable to Herefordshire Council or by telephone 01432 260000.

 

Once payment is received I shall progress the applications.

 

 

Why are they charging you twice?...... you can discharge all conditions under one application for one fee, or do them separately (as the information becomes available) which will cost each time....... but you appear to have put these in together?

[Barrykearley]

They were separate applications at the time. 

I will simply have to pay up - but it stinks - you pay a planning application fee - then if they put in conditions - you pay to discharge the conditions...... It's in their interest to put conditions on it surely. As it is - the external finishes will be as per the planning application plans 

[Daniel]

Wait until they tell you that they have a statutory 8 week period to determine the application to discharge...... which means any application which has a condition which states "before the development commences, samples of blah blah" can't commence until those conditions have been formally discharged.

Did you have a professional consultant deal with the application?

[Barrykearley]

no I didn't have a consultant to deal with it. Did it all myself......I had a quote from a local firm and they wanted close on 12k to deal with those two....... I can put up with some grief if I have to.

the other one at appeal - I may well need some proper paid professional - rather than just old straw chobbling me

[march]

I really don't know why you are having problems - well I should say you definitely would not if you were in the Dartmoor National Park. Our neighbours are now building a 'mobile home' over the lane from us, well more a bungalow that a mobile home that is at least twice the size as the plan identifies and in a different location to the planning consent. I have just learnt the park planning department have recently visited their site and agreed that this is all OK! We have also discovered the Park has changed the documents that were presented for public review prior to the decision after the permission was given. This is all after the Park kicking out some people for doing exactly the same thing the other side of the village who had over 3.5 time the amount of farm land.

Even raising objections to all this is pointless as the planning officer who is allowing all this and the enforcement officer are one and the same person.

[Barrykearley]

It's mad.

i approached my local councillor whom previously said they would help - now they seem to be of the opinion that the council win more than they loose at appeal and that I should put up and shut up - even though she pulled some strings for a local builder to get a bungalow new build just down the road......

I even got a veiled threat that if I rattle too much they could try enforcement action - best of bloody luck with that one 

Come the day she knocks on my door after my vote next time - I'm afraid the tirade of abuse is gonna be massive, release the hounds and gerofmylaand

maybe I should join the masons after all 

[march]

Also I have been doing a bit of digging around on the legal definition of a mobile home - what they are building is not a mobile home - it is a house - again completely in contradicting the planning permission. This planning department is either incompetent or bent, not sure which.

[Barrykearley]

I'm more convinced than ever that the level of corruption and incompetence is just simply massively high.......

[Barrykearley]

Appeal dismissed today !!! Doh

any professionals want some money ??

[andydclements]

Barry you need to be more specific. The term professional could include a hit man, and obviously you're not that fed up with the planning deptYET.

[Barrykearley]

 As I said - still looking for a professional for help !!! 

 

Its not not going away - will start the other two units this winter now

[Barrykearley]

Now have a letter threatening possible consideration of enforcement action against alledged change of use....

legal letter off to them very shortly. No change of use has occurred and it's been validated that everything carried out to date is indeed of a maintenance nature

[Barrykearley]

Yawn.... it's been back and forwards for ages with this now. 

Looks like they are going to try an stick an enforcement notice on me for Windows and doors which externally look too domestic !! Bring it on I say it's ridiculous. We shall see what they serve - whatever they do serve they will loose the appeal so that seems to be why it's been dragging on so long. They look like they are actually going against their own legal advice !!

on a brighter note - a white paper is being published in Jan. Presumed consent is the outcome - as long as you tick some government boxes in a check list then there is nothing the LPA can do to refuse. Looks like it's going to sit alongside the NPPF.

a new application for affordable, self build for my daughter is the next step in the new year.

[Barrykearley]

Finally I have had some progress on this.

Herefordshire have now had to admit that the five year land supply they have is indeed a lie - and as such they don't have one . 

So - back to planning we go - in the knowledge that it's to be judged by NPPF rules. So fingers crossed - that's the bloody end of it.

now the games changed a bit - I wants to retire and buy a slightly well used 400 

[oilmagnet477]

Good luck Barry, looks like an end in sight soon - imagine how much this farce has cost the Council! Bonkers