Cheshire East Council has admitted that it did not submit a statement within the required timeframe during an appeal over a car wash planning application because of an administrative error.
As reported last week, Cheshire East Council lost an appeal against their refusal to grant planning permission for the change in use of a former petrol filling station to a hand car wash and valet business.
Shines appealed to the Planning Inspectorate over the committee's refusal of their plans at the site of the former Kings Arms Service Station on Alderley Road in Wilmslow.
As well as winning their appeal, the company was awarded full costs because the Council failed to submit a statement in support of its reasons for refusing planning permission within the given timescales. The Planning Inspectorate said that this failure amounted to "unreasonable behaviour on the Council's part" which resulted in "the appellant incurring unnecessary and wasted expenditure".
Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: "The council regrets that due to an administrative error that a statement was not submitted within the required timeframe.
"A statement was submitted late but rejected by the inspectorate, although the appeal inspector was fully aware of the reasons for refusal by the council.
"After visiting the site and considering objections from local residents, the inspector did not feel that the car wash would be out of character with the surrounding area and would not have a significant impact on highway safety. The appeal was therefore allowed.
"It is not known at this time how much the council will have to pay in costs."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
1 Who is accountable for this costly “administrative error”?
2 What measures are in place to prevent a reoccurrence ? (Hopefully not another costly independent enquiry.)
3 How heavy an appeals load CEC was under at the time of the “error”?
No doubt this information is far too sensitive for mere tax payers to be told!
But then again CE's attitude is that it's not REAL money, it's just taxpayers money....and they can simply take more wherever and whenever they need to!
not our pockets coughing up more council tax to allow this underperformance and fiscal incompetence to continue.
The budget has already been put in place to cover this- £750k if I recall correctly.
Do you want more of the same or will you vote for change?
Discuss...
Moving on - hopefully the council will pay close attention to this vexatious applicant and ensure that ALL health and safety and planning requirements are met, all employees are exactly that and not "self-employed" on low pay in order to claim huge benefits (as The Big Issue scam operates), comprehensive insurance is in place and waiting cars blocking the highway are moved on.