6 November - Reform is the opposition now
If
you have been reading Bonkers over the past few weeks you will know that the
Bexley branch of Reform UK has made two very significant complaints to Bexley Council.
The apparent incompetence of its Planning Officers
(PDF) when considering the Crook Log Golf Pods and the request that
the Monitoring Officer investigates the
close association between Planning and Kulvinder Singh, the property developer.
The Council has responded to the first of these, I wouldn’t
describe it as an answer; whitewash might be a more appropriate word.
It confirms that four Conservative Councillors visited a similar facility but
the pods were not all in use, just the odd one for test purposes. No one thought
to check exactly what sort of golf club was in use except that the quieter irons were
used; not titanium drivers.
Almost every specific complaint was dismissed with “The visit was not intended to
replicate or test the assumption within the acoustic assessment”. One must
wonder why the Councillors bothered to go. Reform’s complaint was rejected on every count.
The only interesting things to come from the response is that the Case Officer did not
reply to any emailed enquiries under instruction from senior management and the
confirmation that the applicant has withdrawn its application. What sort of
management refuses to answer emails contrary to every Council guideline? The new
response includes an apology for that dreadful decision.
I imagine that Reform UK will be making a Stage 2 complaint.
As already reported,
Bexley Council is playing silly buggers with the Kulvinder Singh complaint by pretending they
do not know which developer Reform was referring to. They will be busy putting that right.
Meanwhile I searched my archive of audio recordings and found one relating to
the eyesore to be seen above. Mr. Singh was pleading for retrospective permission
for his concrete bunker. Planning Committee Members agreed that there was no way
permission would be granted had an application been submitted before work
started. Three Councillors were absolutely against retrospective permission
while one dithered. However Councillor Brian Bishop was firmly behind Mr. Singh
filling his garden with concrete and
encroaching slightly on Lesnes Abbey woods.
He could not find anyone to second his proposal in support of Mr. Singh so once again the plan was thrown out.
I have sent the audio clip to Reform in the hope that it helps their case.
What isn’t explained is why the concrete bunker was allowed to stay. How did that happen?