Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, has submitted a number of Freedom of Information requests to Brighton & Hove City Council. His action follows repeated calls from residents and businesses about the failures of the City’s Planning Department.
Mike has written to Penny Thompson, Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council, to request ten specific responses which relate to complaints about the number of planning applications that are turned down at the last minute, despite seemingly being deemed acceptable to planning officers.
Information requested from Brighton & Hove City Council by Mike includes”
• Number of planning applications submitted each year since 2000.
• Number of approvals by Officers each year since 2000.
• Number of approvals by Committee each year since 2000.
• Number of refusals by Officers each year since 2000.
• Number of refusals by Committee each year since 2000.
• Number of applications sent to Committee each year since 2000.
• Number of appeals each year since 2000.
• Number of resubmitted applications each year since 2000.
• Number of applications not determined by target decision date each year since 2000.
• Number of planning applications submitted each year since 2000 that are actually built.
Mike said:
“Numerous unrelated complaints have been put to me by local builders about the Planning Department at Brighton & Hove City Council dragging its heels and holding back development in the city. Brighton & Hove desperately needs new construction of homes, businesses as well as Major Projects, which will help boost our local economy. I hope that the responses that I receive shed some light on how effective the Planning Department is. I am keen to get to the bottom of this matter.”
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