Last night the Government hammered home the final nails in the coffin of the Planning application process, to ensure that the public no longer had any grounds for objection.
And in their usual chicken-shit style, they have also fobbed off responsibility for the unpopular decisions to an unelected quango, in a vain attempt to shield themselves from a voter backlash next election.
The process of disenfranchising the general public from the planning application process has of course been proceeding quietly, but steadily for quite some time now.
Even back in 2003 when we were objecting to the building of a waste incinerator just 2 miles from where we live (and right next to grain fields, a primary school and shopping center), we found that many legitimate objections were largely ignored and over-ridden in order to serve the self-interests of both the developer and their lackeys on the Hampshire County council (our supposed “representatives”) and their application was largely railroaded through.
But at least we were permitted to formally object on health and safety grounds. Subsequent amendments to the planning process now exclude these as grounds for objection from the public (even members of the public who are acknowledged experts in the particular areas of concern). Now, the only grounds that the public can object to in the planning application of an unpopular development, are largely grounds of aesthetics.
In a nutshell, your concerns about radiation from the proposed nuclear power plant, toxins from the incinerator or pollution from an airport or bypass are no longer taken into account…but you are permitted to pick the colour the developer will paint the buildings!
Yesterday, on Radio 4′s “Today” programme, Planning minister John Healey attempted to spin his way out of the situation, by claiming that the public would retain “the right of consultation”.
But what exactly does that mean?
Government: We are going to build a nuclear waste dump in your village
People: But what happened to our right of consultation?
Government: What do you think this is?
If these recent changes were likely to result in the approval of new wind or solar farms, new anaerobic composting facilities or other renewable energy/environmentally sound developments, I might be a little more enthusiastic. But sadly, I think that with the current medieval mindset of the senior civil servants who set policy, I think all we will see are more coal fired power stations, incinerators, toxic waste dumps and new airports coming online after sliding through a planning process as slick and slimy as a tapeworm’s douche bag.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blear’s argued that developments which could boost the economy and Britain’s energy security were being “clogged up” in “antiquated” planning processes.
All we can hope for now that the public is largely denied the right to object to anything, is that the next step in streamlining the process will be the resignation and suicide of the smarmy civil servants and politicians on the take.
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