What is happening indeed?
The last time I wrote on my blog was January and the public consultation for my proposed house build was about to close.
OMG – that so didn’t happen. The public consultation period was extended twice eventually closing on 20th February!
Last count 91 online comments and only a few in my favour.
A proposal for a modest three-bedroom house absolutely rocked the Faversham public, the neighbours, and swimming pool users; in their droves, they have submitted comments and objections.
Comments are to be expected however I hadn’t anticipated my friend who is a neighbour to join the tirade and even attend a meeting to listen and actively be part of the anti campaigners! I also hadn’t realised there would be a poster campaign against the plan, Facebook posts, and two stories in the local press. Either I am extremely naive, really unpopular or my plans are that controversial. I am unsure which but my confidence and self-esteem have taken nose dive!
Perry Court, a local proposed development of 330 houses only received 200 comments so by proportion by application has received an unprecedented response.
If you read the National Planning Framework and believe me I have read it. Only valid planning comments should be taken into consideration, not public outcry just because they don’t want it.
Just to recap:
For two years I worked with Swale at pre-plan re-designing the house with their input until they were happy with the proposal.
In December 2015 Faversham Town Council agreed to the plans at the council meeting, recording no objection in the minutes.
In February the Faversham Town Council invited the planning application back but they couldn’t change their original decision as no material change had taken place. However, this meeting was well-attended by locals and neighbours who were extremely vociferous and the council allowed their concerns to be heard. Coincidently shortly after this Swale informed us they would not be supporting the planning application after all.
On Thursday 10th March as we headed to the Swale Planning Committee meeting we were met in the gallery by lots of neighbours opposing the plans. With no support from Swale, the plans received very little air time except, each representative permitted to have an allocated three-minute speaking time either in support or against the scheme. Nigel Kay St Ann’s Ward Faversham Councillor, who is also the town Mayor strangely commented the scheme had not had the Town Council’s support, the FTC minutes showed otherwise! The Chairman of the Planning Committee (also a Faversham Councillor) summarised, very briefly, to say Swale did not support this scheme.
How did we get this far, to receive no feedback? Where did the support suddenly go? Why are people encouraged to submit pre-plan designs to then receive no support at the last hurdle?
So many questions.
That concludes the planning nightmare for now, and it has been a total disaster of gigantic proportions. Emotionally it has been on a par with divorce, and as costly. It has left me so wrecked emotionally that I now live in the walls of my home wondering when I step outside whether I will meet a neighbour and dreading the thought.
Yes, I know. You can’t expect to not receive comments but when they are personal, irrelevant and from people you thought were friends it’s difficult to comprehend.
Genuinely I can’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s a proposal for a house in an urban town, get over it!
It’s about change.
Anyone with my garden would do exactly the same but maybe no one wants it to be me. They all like looking out over the green, but that’s my garden, not a public park.