Webster Glacier and The Three Point Plan

In 2006, an article written by a Planning Officer concerning fees, staffing and maintaining public confidence in the planning system, appeared in the professional press. She put forward Her ‘Three Point Plan’ based on higher application fees and better staff resources. Well fees have certainly rocketed but has the system improved? 

In a recent application Pearson Planning, Chartered Surveyors dealt with, in Edinburgh, She was the case Officer. The proposal involved the change of use of vacant offices to a hotel. The determination took four months (cold and glacial pace). During that time emails went unanswered, the Officer refused to visit the property, etc, resulting in a formal complaint being made. The Complaint was upheld. The application was recommended for refusal, on amenity grounds. There were no objections from neighbours nor Environmental Health.

This resulted in an Appeal. The Scottish Ministers did not agree with Her, allowing the Appeal and granted conditional planning permission. After a year’s delay, the client can begin preparations to open. This experience has done nothing but damage the client’s confidence in the planning system, never mind the unnecessary costs associated with appealing and lost tourist revenue.

Perhaps someone will write a follow up article with another Three Point Plan: employ only professionally qualified staff; better monitoring of that staff; and fee refunds/penalties for staff underperformance.