Super Complaint Handed In Today

A SERIES OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST SOUTH HOLLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL POINTING TO MALADMINISTRATION

ONE

South Holland District Council have processed a planning application for the building of affordable homes in West Drove South knowing it to be an economy of the truth insofar as they have agreed with developers to build a larger estate. See diagrams.

TWO

SHDC have used this option above as a device to restrict the number of those existing home owners needed to be involved in the planning process in order to skew and distort reaction to a contentious building plan. See diagrams.

THREE

By any measure the nature of this ‘first’ project, let alone their true intentions in the lane, impacts upon ALL householders in WDS and therefore a council wishing to be transparent and forthcoming with its own residents in order to carry them with the project would have done the decent thing. In the scheme of things 15 householders being contacted to take part in the planning process for a project that fundamentally affected their lives was the least the council should have committed to with this first WDS build.

FOUR

South Holland District Council through its deceitful ploy of restricting those invited to the planning process were then able to spin the actuality to the effect that they exceeded their statutory requirements but they were doing this as a result of a deception in hiding the true nature of what they had agreed.

FIVE

By not including all stakeholders SHDC have not a sufficient validation of their plans. Their conduct was specifically designed to get a specific result from a small number of low and fixed income households that they could present as no reason to stop their plan for phase 1 and their bigger picture ‘agreed deal’.

To dismiss, as Paul Jackson – SHDC Development Control Manager has done in his letter to me of 12^th of May, as unfortunate that I was excluded from the planning application is not a little disingenuous in seeking to say between the lines ‘tough, deal with it’ whilst SHDC’s failure is simply a matter of supreme inconsequence. The utter arrogance of the council is self evident.

SIX

In a letter from the housing department the council sent to householders that was dated 20^th January residents were given the first indication that building was to take place in West Drove South namely 6 X 3 bed affordable homes. The purpose of the letter was to invite residents to apply for tenancy in a development in Station Road whilst it gave the impression that it was a ‘done deal’ for the WDS build

I telephoned the department concerned upon receipt of the letter and enquired about the properties in Station Road which the letter advised all Gedney Hill residents were to be completed by end of February. The conversation revealed the following:

The Station Road properties, 3 X 3 bed & 3 X 2 bed affordable social housing, were to be let with the criteria of tenants “with a Gedney Hill connection and 1 child in the 2 bed & 2 children in the 3 bed homes”.

I pointed out that the letter appeared to give the impression of a ‘done deal’ in West Drove South and the nature of the area was such that the impact on all stakeholders would be profound requiring, in my view, ALL residents being given the opportunity to have their say.

I was told that it was NOT a ‘done deal’, that the planning process had not taken place and that I would definitely be included in the planning process – this was said in full knowledge of my name address by the council employee who forwarded an application form to me some days later.

In addition and bearing in mind this was a discussion over the 6 X 3 bed houses in WDS I was assured that despite the letter quoting a period of a year before they would be inhabited it would in fact be 2 years.

SEVEN

In a telephone call to SHDC highways on Monday 17^th May 2010 where I queried newly painted marks on the road surface in West Drove South I established that the speed limit signs were to be moved back some distance southwards to now include the whole of a parcel of agricultural/horticultural land on which the current building work was taking place. The current build was concentrated on approximately 15% of this land at its northern end nearest the junction with Lincoln Avenue. See diagrams.

When I asked the council representative why it was necessary to move speed limit signs I was told that he ‘honestly’ didn’t know and proceeded to supply a list of frankly implausible reasons why none of which included new house building. When I suggested that an option might be house building the representative became very, very defensive.

I find it strange that the reason for moving road speed signs was not known and thus calls into question the competence of council employees.

EIGHT

In a further telephone call to SHDC planning I was told, as a prospective house purchaser, that work other than that taking place currently “had been agreed”.

NINE

SHDC has shown a particular disregard for residents in West Drove South by either:

Failing to proscribe movements of site traffic bearing in mind THEIR FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORKS SITE during the hours of 0800/0900 & 1530/1630 in order to protect children and young people whilst walking to/from their school/school bus from the dangers & intimidation present walking along a ONE TRACK COUNTRY LANE WITH NO FOOTPATHS. Of course the council wouldn’t necessarily expect to know whether children in a location are special needs but it is their duty of care to assume in these circumstances that allowances should be made – and in fact some children walking at these times are special needs. It is a fact that lorries have presented pedestrians with particular stresses in these proceedings thus far. Another point that comes into play is the subjecting of children/young people to clouds of dust whilst walking to school.

or

Failure to enforce these conditions.

TEN

By the evidence uncovered so far appertaining to actions by SHDC they have brought the nature of their work into disrepute.

ELEVEN

It is the case that West Drove South is now under planning blight and that strangers are being given information on SHDC plans that they are not prepared to share with its own residents.

TWELVE

Evidence thus far also suggests that indeed the council has an agenda of ‘done deals’ that that border crass stupidity or criminality.

THIRTEEN

SHDC in my experience succumbed to a conflict of interest in dealing with a complaint that I made dated 30^th April to which they replied negatively. A complaint made to the council about the council that I had been excluded from the planning process. The question of whether or not there would be some kind of objective response was similarly not in positive territory.

However I have now serious concerns following on from the council’s first response in which they invited me to take my complaint to Stage 2, whatever that means. On receiving the letter (14^th May) I phoned the number referred to but there was nobody there who could deal with my requirements but my telephone number was taken and I was assured somebody would call back on the following Monday 17^th May.

After NOT being phoned, I emailed that I wished to go the Stage 2 route and took the opportunity to raise a second complaint that I had been lied to by a council representative in discussing the 20^th January letter previously mentioned.

What is particularly unpleasant is the council’s largesse since. Nothing. I’m now of the opinion that Stage 2 consists of a patch of long grass. As for my 2^nd complaint of being lied to by council staff again no information at all.

It is becoming apparent that SHDC are intent on using or rather abusing due process in time sensitive matters as a means of prevarication to prevent furtherance of an individual’s rights. My rights in this case to seek a review by the Local Government Ombudsman which can only take place as I’m sure SHDC is well aware after the council has finished all its deliberations.

FOURTEEN

It seems that ‘amenity’ is something that the council trades in and their planning department has taken it upon themselves in recent years to invoke a planning permission caveat that restricts ‘garden structures’ to being the subject of full planning permission rigour – so that, for instance, full dimensions - construction materials - positioning and so on would be required for a rose arch or trampoline or cloche – all for reason of AMENITY! BUT SHDC can withdraw an area’s ‘amenity’ without a planning permission process.

FIFTEEN

The bigger picture in all of these matters is that SHDC have embarked on a course of action to build an estate of affordable properties in the most unsuitable location in Gedney Hill and used connivance, deceit and game playing to deny residents the opportunity to point out the truth of the matter. This development will lead to social division and tension, it will be bad for Gedney Hill as a whole and when the true facts emerge council tax payers will need to dig deep to go some way to remedy the situation.

This development is in no way designed to meet a waiting list as has been demonstrated earlier. It is politically and financially motivated to put large numbers of families having no connection with Gedney Hill into the village that has no facilities to support them, placing an economic burden upon them that is at best unfair and at worst detrimental to family life and community cohesion.

It is the building of ‘next generation’ slums destroying something good in the process. The ghetto-isation of Gedney Hill.

SIXTEEN

Lastly the sheer contempt demonstrated for the planning process with work to move street speed limit signs that would only be necessary for the building of homes, the building of homes not yet subject to a planning process (see diagrams). The disrespect for the residents of West Drove South could hardly be greater with agreement to build houses in the certain knowledge they WOULD be built. The arrogance of SHDC masks the true nature of the origins of this project to build an estate clearly out of all character to its setting and for tenants that will not be from their waiting list or the locality.