When the Crook Log
Golf Pod
proposal first went to the Planning Committee on 23rd July (25/02420/FUL) it
was greeted with a lack of enthusiasm by Councillors mainly because of noise
issues which have subsequently been proved to be grossly understated.
Fortunately the Chairman (Kurtis Cristoforides, Conservative, St. Mary’s & St.
James) had the good sense to suggest a site visit to a similar facility, except
that there isn’t one. Who in their right mind would allow 700 plus balls an hour
to be whacked within 50 feet of private property and an SEND schoool?
From memory it was the Planning Officer who recommended a trip to a Pod site in
Chislehurst but I can find no evidence that Councillors actually went there and all we know
for certain is that consideration of the plan was
withdrawn from the
Agenda on 8th October. Bexley Council has steadfastly ignored questions about possible reasons.
They are definitely trying to hide something.
What has been whispered is that on 24th September some Planning Committee
Members went all the way to the Pod Company’s facility in Cranham which is near
Upminster and nowhere near to residential properties.
Bexley Council, being in deep secrecy mode, has refused to say which Committee
Members took the trouble to go there. Neither do we know how close they stood
to the Pods, how many balls were being fired off in a given time and what sort
of drivers were in use. In short they are saying nothing.
Bexley Council appears to be on a mission to convince everyone that it is
incompetent or corrupt. Their FOI responses, heavily redacted though they may
be, read like an attempt to smooth the way for the applicant with some highly
dubious assumptions. Golf Pods are
no more noisy than cricket on a village green.
Believe it if you like.
Reform UK (Bexley branch) continues to dig ever more deeply into this farrago and I can only shake my
head in utter disbelief at what they have found.
In 15 years of observing a sometimes evil and occasionally criminal Council I have never seen the like of it before.
Index to Golf Pod related blogs.