The Planning Department is Taking Too Long

29 January 2019
by Archive User

We are coming to the end of our tether and do not know what to do.

We've put in a planning application with the South Gloucestershire Council Planning Department for one dwelling on a piece of land we own, which is next to our house.

This was back on the 30th April 2018, nine months have passed and we are none the wiser as to whether our application is going to be successful or not.

The council have so far requested three official extensions, which we have agreed to.

Back in November we were then told they hope to get an answer to us before Christmas. I have emailed them again in January, and the lady who is dealing with our case only works part time and keeps coming up with the excuse of how busy she is and snowed under with work.

Last week I even emailed the main man at SGC, he said he would speak to the planning officer and get back to me. That was over a week ago and we still haven't heard back from him either.

It is now getting very frustrating and not sure what we can do, we feel they have us over a barrel. If this was any other business we could complain or sue for breach of contract. I am an accountant and if I treated my clients like SGC myself and my clients would be out of business.

I am writing to seek any help and advice the team at Build It or your readers may have on this situation.

Do we carry on and just try and be patient? Surely they have to give us an answer, or is there anything we can do to help speed this process up? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Michelle Kehoe.

One Answer

  1. Mike Dade says:

    As a planning consultant I too am frequently frustrated by untenable delays in council decision making.

    It may be of little comfort that this phenomena is quite common, and even less that there’s not a great deal that can be done about it.

    Your approach to a more senior officer is a good first step. Where this yields no result, approaching your local councillor can result in progress, but much depends on that councillor’s willingness to take up your cause and degree of influence with officers.

    It is possible to appeal against non-determination, taking the application out of the council’s hands. That, though, takes your application into the six month long appeals process, which doesn’t exactly speed things up.

    I can only suggest you keep pushing, firmly!

    Mike Dade, Build It expert

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