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objecting to something...

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  • objecting to something...

    this is a pretty straightforward question (i hope!)...

    there is a new area of development proposed in my local village which 99% of residents object to. the leaders of this development project obviously have to provide consultation and an opportunity for residents to officially log their concerns. as such, rather than everyone typing up their own individual letters, the parish council have pro-actively got together and agreed on a core set of issues which they wish to raise with the leaders of the project. there didn't seem any point in re-inventing the wheel and every individual writing the exact same letter, so a standard template was created which residents could simply print off and sign if they were in agreement (obviously if they don't agree, they can submit their own complaint). this made it easy for people who aren't great at writing letters, or indeed aren't capable of writing letters (elderly, disabled) an opportunity to voice their concerns (and also encourages residents who are perhaps a little concerned, but not enthusiastic enough to type their own letter, to get involved. in other words, providing greater engagement, hence more objections)

    anyway, long story short, the leaders of the development project have said they will not accept a standard letter, even if it has been personally signed by each resident. the residents explained that most of the village are in agreement over the issues which they want to raise, and if an individual signs the letter, why should it be deemed invalid? after all, it's not out of the realms of possibility that some people may type the exact same short letter anyway, simply by coincidence. the leaders of the project responded by saying "well, try to make them look unique by wording them slightly differently"

    this seems crazy to me. how can they possibly police this? people could use the exact same font and wording purely by chance! are they saying any duplicate letters which look similar won't be counted either?!!

    the point is, they're obviously trying to make life as tricky as possible for residents to complain. they know that more people are likely to respond if they simply have to print off a standard complaint and sign it, so they're trying to make it as awkward as possible

    ...so my question is, where do they stand legally with this??? can the project effectively 'bin' complaints just because a resident has used a standard response?

    thank you
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Re: objecting to something...

    Surely it depends on whether the council planning dept. accepts this? I thought it was up to them and not the developers?

    An optimist is someone who falls off the Empire State Building, and after 50 floors says, 'So far so good'!
    ~ Anonymous

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: objecting to something...

      this particular project is effectively being run by the government. in other words, the company doing the work is government funded

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: objecting to something...

        Ah -interested to hear what the clever chaps have to say on this.

        An optimist is someone who falls off the Empire State Building, and after 50 floors says, 'So far so good'!
        ~ Anonymous

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: objecting to something...

          about 15 years ago I was heavily involved in opposng a £17,000,000 tech park/ UAV centre of Excellence(!) development heavily supported by the Welsh government.

          It needed planning permission , so the LA had to be the target

          We discovered that a petition signed by 500 people, counted as a single submission, as did template letters.
          To make life more difficult for the planners we gave our supporters basic guidelines, and instructed them on how to personalise them and include their own comments.

          We also found the only way to make a difference was to scrutinise the plans and planning law and draw attention to where they were in conflict.

          The powers that be poo hoo'd our findings, so as a lot of the funding was coming from Europe we examined the funding applications etc.
          Ended up reporting it to European anti fraud office, who pulled plug and made them do everything again properly.

          They built their tech parc which stands empty except for MoD testing their UAVs.
          So much for the regeneration of West Wales and The Valleys which was meant to come.

          Altogether we scrutinised everything they said or claimed against the relevant regulations.
          We followed the funding.
          We examined the qualifications, history and any published information about the individuals involved.
          We made thorough nuisances of ourselves, to such an extent planners from two other uninvolved areas contacted us to congratulate us on our campaign.

          However it does take money.
          We spent almost £10,000 (raised by donations, coffee mornings, car boots etc) and three of usworked nearly full time for three years, with lots of others supporting.

          Good luck with your campaign

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: objecting to something...

            Organisations such as 38 Degrees regularly use standard letters/emails for their petitions.
            They are accepted by Parliament.
            CAVEAT LECTOR

            This is only my opinion - "Opinions are made to be changed --or how is truth to be got at?" (Byron)

            You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.
            Cohen, Herb


            There is danger when a man throws his tongue into high gear before he
            gets his brain a-going.
            Phelps, C. C.


            "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance!"
            The last words of John Sedgwick

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: objecting to something...

              Originally posted by charitynjw View Post
              Organisations such as 38 Degrees regularly use standard letters/emails for their petitions.
              They are accepted by Parliament.
              A petition with 100,000 signatures is only one petition,and parliament acts on single petitions with a minimum number of signatures.

              When it comes to planning a petition is regarded as a single submission, and it receives the same attention as a letter written by an individual. (or it does in W. Wales!!)

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: objecting to something...

                Originally posted by des8 View Post
                A petition with 100,000 signatures is only one petition,and parliament acts on single petitions with a minimum number of signatures.

                When it comes to planning a petition is regarded as a single submission, and it receives the same attention as a letter written by an individual. (or it does in W. Wales!!)
                Standard letters/emails are also (individually?) sent via 38 Degrees to MPs (I honestly don't know the mechanics, but I presume they go to HoP?)
                Basically you identify your MP & just click 'send'.
                I get an email confirmation from the MP, though.
                CAVEAT LECTOR

                This is only my opinion - "Opinions are made to be changed --or how is truth to be got at?" (Byron)

                You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.
                Cohen, Herb


                There is danger when a man throws his tongue into high gear before he
                gets his brain a-going.
                Phelps, C. C.


                "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance!"
                The last words of John Sedgwick

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: objecting to something...

                  The point is that planning decisions are based on planning law, not the number of people who object or support an application.
                  Parliament decides to debate on the number of persons requesting it.

                  We deliberately flooded our planning officer with hundreds of individual comments as each had to be considered and dealt with.
                  This helped slowed down the planning process.

                  Comment

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