Newspaper blunder leads to planning delays in North Northants
It's over a mix-up regarding where adverts were placed
North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has been forced to defer two planning applications after residents complained that the authority had placed a consultation notice in the wrong newspaper.
The planning blunder involved an application in Oundle seeking permission for upgrades to the existing rugby pitch and a separate set of plans to build five holiday lets along the southeastern boundary of the Lilford Hall Estate.
Both plans went to a planning committee meeting on Wednesday evening (January 21) with an officer’s recommendation for approval.
Councillors were alerted by members of the public during the meeting that the planning permission advertisements, which are required for a full public consultation, were placed in the wrong paper.
Speaking about the rugby club application in public participation, Cllr John Wade, the mayor of Oundle Town Council, said: “We are not opposed to the rugby club or its ambitions. Our concerns with their planning application are around poor process, inadequate parking, and development creep.
“A statutory notice was placed in the Kettering Evening Telegraph – which is not delivered in Oundle. That is not just a technicality, it undermines a key safeguard for residents, many of whom only became aware of the proposal late in the process.
“That failure alone should give councillors serious pause, especially given the Hooke Close case in Corby.”
This refers to another council planning blunder in recent years, which saw NNC consult the wrong street over a large warehouse planning application, placing the site notice on a road about half a mile away due to a mix-up with the other Corby Weetabix site.
According to the reports published by NNC on both proposals, advertising was placed only in the Kettering Evening Telegraph.
After pausing the meeting for a break to check their records, officers apologised for an “administrative error” and told members they believe the notices should’ve been advertised in the Peterborough Telegraph instead.
They said they were unable to confirm that it had been circulated in the correct newspaper and changed the recommendation to defer a decision on the plans until it was clear that the consultation process had been followed properly.
Both applications were unanimously deferred by the planning committee to ensure that a full consultation is undertaken. It is not clear when they will return to committee for a decision.