Planning Portal

[maybelateron]

On 11/09/2019 at 09:30, Gary Prentice said:

It's one of my own biggest frustrations, LAs wanting the applicant/notifier to dot the i's and cross the t's, while they are quite happy to play hard and fast with the rules and regs. 

 

On 11/09/2019 at 09:30, Gary Prentice said:

Some of the replies illustrate how poor some of the LA practices actually are, after even acknowledging receipt of a notice seems like hard work for some.

I have two TPO applications with one of our local councils that are overdue for the decisions notice, one of them by 4 weeks. This is despite chasing it up twice. Bet they would be round in a flash if I started the minor and obviously needed crown raise to the tree!

Another of the council Tree Officers I deal with really does deserve praise. I will never moan that he is behind with his paperwork for the simple reason he is so helpful and we talk about our long lost friend Mt Common Sense. I am sure the only reason he gets behind on paper work is because he is always happy to meet tree surgeons and tree owners on site, discuss any proposed work, give a feel for what is likely to be approved/what is not so likely. Makes it so much easier. None of the other 3 main councils I deal with are prepared to meet on site.

[Gary Prentice]

Just now, maybelateron said:

 

I have two TPO applications with one of our local councils that are overdue for the decisions notice, one of them by 4 weeks. This is despite chasing it up twice. Bet they would be round in a flash if I started the minor and obviously needed crown raise to the tree!

Another of the council Tree Officers I deal with really does deserve praise. I will never moan that he is behind with his paperwork for the simple reason he is so helpful and we talk about our long lost friend Mt Common Sense. I am sure the only reason he gets behind on paper work is because he is always happy to meet tree surgeons and tree owners on site, discuss any proposed work, give a feel for what is likely to be approved/what is not so likely. Makes it so much easier. None of the other 3 main councils I deal with are prepared to meet on site.

Frustrating isn't it! 

 

If an LA consistently exceeds eight weeks I'd advise chucking in an appeal immediately. I know it's more work for you but they'll soon get the idea that you're prepared to go the whole hog when they're tardy. PINS will, I assume. get fed up with a raft of non-determination appeals from that particular authority too.

 

I eventually went to the CEO of one council, within three months the planning officer involved stopped dealing with tree apps and the job got took on by a TO who is just simply marvellous (I tell him so, and his department head, frequently). I actually got a consent on a TPO'd development site within 24 hours a few weeks ago. Tree contractors were being held up from completing after a couple of Ash with chalara were identified (No symptoms last year when I did the survey), so I asked if he could possibly expedite the determination. I wasn't expecting the following day. On the other hand, if he's late on a determination, like you I accept he's workload and defend him to my clients, we're all human.

 

I've never been refused a site meeting pre-app, with any council. I suggest that they'll have to visit eventually but if they'll meet first things like pruning spec's can be agreed and then they don't have to come again. If they don't meet, then they may have to write a refusal and deal with a second application afterwards. No-one wants to potentially create more work than necessary and it's hard to object to my reasoning (None of these LAs currently charge for pre-apps fortunately - that might change in the future)