Letter: Inspectors make the decisions

Further to Mr Grayson’s letter last week, “Shame on council for allowing this”, if the Sainsbury’s development is anything like the stores completed in Burgess Hill just less than a year ago then MSDC Planning Dept will not have been involved at all.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Nov 2014, 07:37 BST
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When the B&Q and Waitrose stores were completed I complained to MSDC about the unsatisfactory parking spaces provided for disabled users and was informed that they considered the spaces adequate ...”...as these were approved on both sites by NHBC Approved Inspectors (not the Local Authority).

”These inspectors, unelected, unaccountable commercial operations, were named, one being in Grantham, Lincolnshire, the other in Wolverhampton.

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(As an aside I must say B&Q responded to my complaint very quickly and made some significant improvements, not quite as far as I thought they should go but greatly improved the safety, whereas Waitrose have chosen to leave the parking spaces closest to the entrance reserved for motorcycle users!)

This is not the first time that I have come across such approval being decided by other than MSDC. When no.1 Church Road, Burgess Hill (Goddens Barber shop) was redeveloped from just a hole in the ground it was rebuilt with SEVEN STEPS up to the entrance, I complained about this, with regard to disabled access and was informed by MSDC Planning Dept. that they had had no part in it, the development was approved by Brighton Council Planning Dept.

I think that my letter also addresses concern expressed by a reader three or more weeks ago, commenting on planning decisions being made by people who don’t live in MSDC area, it looks as though a good many of them are not even made in this part of the country.

B Solloway (Mr)

By email

Related topics:InspectorsBurgess HillWaitrose