PANTMAWR ACTION GROUP NEWSLETTER
MAY 30TH 2008
The Appeal against the decision by Cardiff Council to reject the application to demolish the Pantmawr Inn and build Flats and Townhouses on the site is now to be the subject of a Public Inquiry. During the coming week all those of you who sent a letter about the proposed development to Cardiff Council Planning Department earlier this year should receive a letter from them advising you of this. We do not yet know the date on which the Inquiry will be held, but it is likely to extend over a number of days.
We understand that many of you have already written to the Planning Inspectorate at Cathays Park, but you do not need to as your previous letter to the Council will be passed on to the Inspector. If you do wish to write because you have something further to add, you should note that they require 3 copies of your letter. We would also be grateful if you could pass a copy to our Chairman at 115, Caer Wenallt or to another member of the Committee as we wish to monitor the objections that are being made.
This is now a very different situation from the application to the Council. While anyone can speak at the Inquiry, with the Inspector’s agreement, it is important for the success of our case that only planning issues are raised. Any other comments will be ignored. The Inspector will also not wish numerous people to stand up and make the same point over and over again, particularly if they are not directly affected themselves by the development. That will be counterproductive and will not help us to win this Appeal. Anyone who does speak may also be questioned by Lawyers acting for the Applicant and Cardiff Council.
The Action Group have applied to the Inspectorate to be what is called a Rule 6 party. This will give us certain privileges that individuals will not have. We will be allowed to use a Lawyer to present our case at the Inquiry and he will be able to cross examine the Applicant’s and Cardiff Council’s witnesses (eg their planning officers). We would like as many residents of Pantmawr as possible to agree to be represented by us and our legal team. Our case will be very much stronger if we are united. Those whose properties back onto the site, or will be affected by the development in other ways, will still be able to give their views on the effect the development will have on them.
Pooling together will also shorten the length of the Inquiry, which will please the Inspector and should reduce our legal fees. Even so, Legal representation will be expensive and we are appealing for donations which can be proportionally returned if the money is not used. You can send a cheque payable to ‘Pantmawr Action Group’ and include your name and address to our Treasurer, Mrs Jill Edwards, 34 Heol Ffynon Wen, Pantmawr, Cardiff, CF14 7TP. If you prefer, you can give a cash donation to the PAG Committee Member who calls to see you about representation. If you wish to make bank transfer, please consult our Treasurer on 029 20656966. A receipt will be issued and accounts for the group are available on request. We will also be holding a number of fund-raising events over the coming weeks and months. Please support us.
We will keep you informed of any developments via newsletters and our website www.savepantmawr.org. A PAG Committee Member will be visiting every house in Pantmawr soon to obtain a signature confirming your support. This will also provide you with an opportunity to get more information on a one to one basis.
Join us on Facebook here.
Showing posts with label planning inspectorate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning inspectorate. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
What happens at a public inquiry?
Here's some further info on the Planning Inspectorate:
"Our quality statement:
We aim to provide the following in the appeal process:
· clear, prompt and polite advice and information;
· quick and efficient handling of your appeal;
· an open exchange of views between the people involved in the appeal;
· fair and unbiased decisions by appropriately qualified people;
· clear, logical decisions and reports;
· a quick and thorough complaints procedure; and
· a service that gives the public confidence in us.
About the Planning Inspectorate:
We are part of the National Assembly for Wales and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. We deal with planning appeals in Wales from our Cardiff office. The Inspectors, who judge the appeals, have a variety of backgrounds. These include town planning, surveying, engineering, architecture and law. We choose the Inspectors very carefully and train them thoroughly.
Guide to taking part in planning appeals:
The purpose of this guide:
Only the person who applies for the planning permission has a legal right to appeal against the LPA’s decision and we call this person ‘the appellant’. But, if you had an interest in an application, whether you were for or against it, you may also be interested in the outcome of the appeal. For example, you may live close to the area, or you may be a member of a residents’ association or a group with a special interest.
In Wales, appeals are made to the National Assembly for Wales. Appeals are judged by Inspectors, who are completely unbiased and professionally qualified in planning or a related area, like law or architecture. An Inspector will decide most appeals, but there are some appeals that the Assembly will decide (for example, proposals that will affect more than just the local area). In those cases, the Inspector will still assess the appeal, but he or she will send a report with his or her recommendation to the Assembly. The Assembly then considers whether to accept the Inspector’s recommendation, and issues a decision letter. Both the appellant and the LPA can have their case heard by an Inspector at a hearing or public inquiry, but very few appeals are dealt with in this way. With all the appeal procedures, the Inspector and the Assembly can only consider things which are relevant to planning. These things can cover a wide range of issues, but the LPA’s reasons for refusing a planning application will usually set out those issues that will apply. You can only raise planning issues about the application. The Inspector and the Assembly cannot consider any other matters. For example, they cannot normally consider how a development will affect property values in the area. Or, if a new building would affect the view from your property, this is also not likely to be a good
reason for you making an objection. You would have to show that the new building would affect your living conditions, for example, because it overlooks your home or you would lose your privacy. Only the person who made the planning application has the right of appeal. We must receive all their appeal papers within six months of the LPA’s decision notice, or within six months of the end of the decision period if the LPA hasn’t made a decision. If we don’t receive their appeal papers within the time limit, and there are no exceptional reasons for this delay, we won’t accept the appeal. If the appeal has been made in time, we will write to the appellant and the LPA telling them which of the following procedures we will use to decide the appeal. We will also give them the timetable for receiving their comments. How much publicity the appeal receives will depend on which procedure we follow.
Inquiry procedure.
There is usually more publicity about an appeal if there will be an inquiry. As with the other appeal procedures, if you have already written to the LPA, they should write to you. And, you can send more comments to us. The LPA should send you details of the inquiry arrangements once the date is agreed. The appellant must display details of the inquiry, like the time and place, on the site of the proposed development.
Any person wishing to speak at an inquiry in the Welsh language, may do so, but it would be helpful if you could inform The Planning Inspectorate beforehand so that arrangements can be made.
The inquiry procedure
This is the most formal of the appeal procedures, because it usually involves larger or more complicated appeals. These are often cases where expert evidence is presented, and witnesses are cross-examined. An inquiry may last for several days, or even weeks. It is not a court of law, but the proceedings will often seem to be quite similar and the appellant and the LPA usually have legal representatives. Inquiries are open to members of the public, and although you do not have a legal right to speak, the Inspector will normally allow you to do so. We encourage local people to take part in the inquiry process. Local knowledge and opinion can often be a valuable addition to the more formal evidence given by the appellant and the LPA. However, as with hearings, you do not have to go to the inquiry to make your views known. You can write to us. If you wrote to the LPA at application stage, they will send us a copy of your views. If you did not, or wish to add to those views, you can still write to us. But you must make sure we receive three copies of your comments within the time limit given in your letter from the LPA telling you about the appeal. This is within six weeks of us accepting the appeal — we call this ‘the starting
date’. If we do not receive your letter within the time limit, the Inspector will not normally take your comments into account and we will send them back to you. If we receive your comments in time, we will send a copy of your letter to the appellant, the LPA and the Inspector. Please tell us in your letter if you would like a copy of the appeal decision. We will not acknowledge your letter unless you ask us to. If we consider your letter contains racist or abusive comments, we will send it back to you before the Inspector sees it. If you take out the racist or abusive comments, you can send your letter back to us. But, we must receive this before the time limit ends. If you want to see what the appellant and the LPA have said, you should be able to see copies of their appeal documents and statements at the local council’s offices.
How you find out about the inquiry
We will agree a date for the inquiry with the appellant and LPA. We do not involve anyone else when we fix the date. The LPA will write to everyone they told about the appeal and give them details of the inquiry, like the time and place. The LPA may put a notice in a local paper and the appellant must put one on the appeal site, giving the same information.
Taking part in the inquiry
If you want to take part in an inquiry, you need to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Most people prefer to make, or read out, a brief statement giving their views. If there are several people with the same views, it is a good idea for one person to speak on behalf of the others. Repeating arguments at the inquiry does not help the Inspector, or make the point more relevant. If you want to take a leading role in the inquiry and call your own witnesses, you should contact us at the earliest possible stage. If we agree to this, we may ask you to provide a statement of your case and details of any documents you will produce at the inquiry. You will also be required to provide written statements of evidence 4 weeks before the start of the inquiry. If we ask for this information, and you provide it, we will send you copies of the appellant’s and LPA’s statements.
What happens at the inquiry
If you want to speak at the inquiry, it is important that you are there when it opens because this is when the Inspector will tell everyone about the timetable. At the inquiry opening, the Inspector will go through some routine matters, including asking who will be taking part in the inquiry. When the appellant and the LPA have given their details, the Inspector will ask if anyone else wants to speak. At this stage, you should only give your name and address, and say whether you are for or against the proposal. The Inspector will then usually give an outline of what will happen at the inquiry. The LPA will usually begin by making an opening statement. Their witnesses will then give their evidence and the appellant can cross-examine (question) them. The appellant will then call their witnesses, and the LPA can cross-examine them.
Giving your views
When each witness has been formally cross-examined, the Inspector will normally ask if anyone else who objects to the proposed development has any questions. This is your opportunity to ask questions, but you must make sure that your questions are relevant to the evidence the witnesses have given. You shouldn’t repeat questions that have already been asked. Do not use questions as an opportunity to state your views on the application; you will have the chance to do so later. This will normally be after the LPA’s and the appellant’s witnesses have been heard. At a long inquiry, we cannot predict when we will reach this stage. If you can’t stay at the inquiry all the time, tell the Inspector when the inquiry opens. The Inspector will understand and will try to help by hearing your comments at a different stage of the inquiry, if that is possible. The Inspector will usually ask if you are willing to answer questions about your evidence. You do not have to do this. If you object to the proposed development, the appellant’s representative will ask these questions. Do not feel intimidated. The Inspector will not let anyone ask you hostile or unfair questions. The inquiry ends with closing speeches by the LPA and the appellant. This is
normally followed by the Inspector visiting the appeal site. Because the inquiry is over, there can be no further discussion about the case during that visit. The arrangements are very similar to the visits that are made as part of the written procedure.
After the inquiry
The Inspector will write their decision or send their report to the Assembly. Where the
Inspector decides the appeal we will send a copy of their decision to:
· the appellant;
· the LPA;
· anyone who took part in the inquiry; and
· anyone else who wrote to ask us for a copy.
For inquiries which the Inspector decides, and which last for one or two days, we aim to issue the decision no later than seven weeks after the close of the inquiry. For inquiries which last longer, or where the Inspector has to write a report for the Assembly, the decision will usually take longer.
"Our quality statement:
We aim to provide the following in the appeal process:
· clear, prompt and polite advice and information;
· quick and efficient handling of your appeal;
· an open exchange of views between the people involved in the appeal;
· fair and unbiased decisions by appropriately qualified people;
· clear, logical decisions and reports;
· a quick and thorough complaints procedure; and
· a service that gives the public confidence in us.
About the Planning Inspectorate:
We are part of the National Assembly for Wales and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. We deal with planning appeals in Wales from our Cardiff office. The Inspectors, who judge the appeals, have a variety of backgrounds. These include town planning, surveying, engineering, architecture and law. We choose the Inspectors very carefully and train them thoroughly.
Guide to taking part in planning appeals:
The purpose of this guide:
Only the person who applies for the planning permission has a legal right to appeal against the LPA’s decision and we call this person ‘the appellant’. But, if you had an interest in an application, whether you were for or against it, you may also be interested in the outcome of the appeal. For example, you may live close to the area, or you may be a member of a residents’ association or a group with a special interest.
In Wales, appeals are made to the National Assembly for Wales. Appeals are judged by Inspectors, who are completely unbiased and professionally qualified in planning or a related area, like law or architecture. An Inspector will decide most appeals, but there are some appeals that the Assembly will decide (for example, proposals that will affect more than just the local area). In those cases, the Inspector will still assess the appeal, but he or she will send a report with his or her recommendation to the Assembly. The Assembly then considers whether to accept the Inspector’s recommendation, and issues a decision letter. Both the appellant and the LPA can have their case heard by an Inspector at a hearing or public inquiry, but very few appeals are dealt with in this way. With all the appeal procedures, the Inspector and the Assembly can only consider things which are relevant to planning. These things can cover a wide range of issues, but the LPA’s reasons for refusing a planning application will usually set out those issues that will apply. You can only raise planning issues about the application. The Inspector and the Assembly cannot consider any other matters. For example, they cannot normally consider how a development will affect property values in the area. Or, if a new building would affect the view from your property, this is also not likely to be a good
reason for you making an objection. You would have to show that the new building would affect your living conditions, for example, because it overlooks your home or you would lose your privacy. Only the person who made the planning application has the right of appeal. We must receive all their appeal papers within six months of the LPA’s decision notice, or within six months of the end of the decision period if the LPA hasn’t made a decision. If we don’t receive their appeal papers within the time limit, and there are no exceptional reasons for this delay, we won’t accept the appeal. If the appeal has been made in time, we will write to the appellant and the LPA telling them which of the following procedures we will use to decide the appeal. We will also give them the timetable for receiving their comments. How much publicity the appeal receives will depend on which procedure we follow.
Inquiry procedure.
There is usually more publicity about an appeal if there will be an inquiry. As with the other appeal procedures, if you have already written to the LPA, they should write to you. And, you can send more comments to us. The LPA should send you details of the inquiry arrangements once the date is agreed. The appellant must display details of the inquiry, like the time and place, on the site of the proposed development.
Any person wishing to speak at an inquiry in the Welsh language, may do so, but it would be helpful if you could inform The Planning Inspectorate beforehand so that arrangements can be made.
The inquiry procedure
This is the most formal of the appeal procedures, because it usually involves larger or more complicated appeals. These are often cases where expert evidence is presented, and witnesses are cross-examined. An inquiry may last for several days, or even weeks. It is not a court of law, but the proceedings will often seem to be quite similar and the appellant and the LPA usually have legal representatives. Inquiries are open to members of the public, and although you do not have a legal right to speak, the Inspector will normally allow you to do so. We encourage local people to take part in the inquiry process. Local knowledge and opinion can often be a valuable addition to the more formal evidence given by the appellant and the LPA. However, as with hearings, you do not have to go to the inquiry to make your views known. You can write to us. If you wrote to the LPA at application stage, they will send us a copy of your views. If you did not, or wish to add to those views, you can still write to us. But you must make sure we receive three copies of your comments within the time limit given in your letter from the LPA telling you about the appeal. This is within six weeks of us accepting the appeal — we call this ‘the starting
date’. If we do not receive your letter within the time limit, the Inspector will not normally take your comments into account and we will send them back to you. If we receive your comments in time, we will send a copy of your letter to the appellant, the LPA and the Inspector. Please tell us in your letter if you would like a copy of the appeal decision. We will not acknowledge your letter unless you ask us to. If we consider your letter contains racist or abusive comments, we will send it back to you before the Inspector sees it. If you take out the racist or abusive comments, you can send your letter back to us. But, we must receive this before the time limit ends. If you want to see what the appellant and the LPA have said, you should be able to see copies of their appeal documents and statements at the local council’s offices.
How you find out about the inquiry
We will agree a date for the inquiry with the appellant and LPA. We do not involve anyone else when we fix the date. The LPA will write to everyone they told about the appeal and give them details of the inquiry, like the time and place. The LPA may put a notice in a local paper and the appellant must put one on the appeal site, giving the same information.
Taking part in the inquiry
If you want to take part in an inquiry, you need to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Most people prefer to make, or read out, a brief statement giving their views. If there are several people with the same views, it is a good idea for one person to speak on behalf of the others. Repeating arguments at the inquiry does not help the Inspector, or make the point more relevant. If you want to take a leading role in the inquiry and call your own witnesses, you should contact us at the earliest possible stage. If we agree to this, we may ask you to provide a statement of your case and details of any documents you will produce at the inquiry. You will also be required to provide written statements of evidence 4 weeks before the start of the inquiry. If we ask for this information, and you provide it, we will send you copies of the appellant’s and LPA’s statements.
What happens at the inquiry
If you want to speak at the inquiry, it is important that you are there when it opens because this is when the Inspector will tell everyone about the timetable. At the inquiry opening, the Inspector will go through some routine matters, including asking who will be taking part in the inquiry. When the appellant and the LPA have given their details, the Inspector will ask if anyone else wants to speak. At this stage, you should only give your name and address, and say whether you are for or against the proposal. The Inspector will then usually give an outline of what will happen at the inquiry. The LPA will usually begin by making an opening statement. Their witnesses will then give their evidence and the appellant can cross-examine (question) them. The appellant will then call their witnesses, and the LPA can cross-examine them.
Giving your views
When each witness has been formally cross-examined, the Inspector will normally ask if anyone else who objects to the proposed development has any questions. This is your opportunity to ask questions, but you must make sure that your questions are relevant to the evidence the witnesses have given. You shouldn’t repeat questions that have already been asked. Do not use questions as an opportunity to state your views on the application; you will have the chance to do so later. This will normally be after the LPA’s and the appellant’s witnesses have been heard. At a long inquiry, we cannot predict when we will reach this stage. If you can’t stay at the inquiry all the time, tell the Inspector when the inquiry opens. The Inspector will understand and will try to help by hearing your comments at a different stage of the inquiry, if that is possible. The Inspector will usually ask if you are willing to answer questions about your evidence. You do not have to do this. If you object to the proposed development, the appellant’s representative will ask these questions. Do not feel intimidated. The Inspector will not let anyone ask you hostile or unfair questions. The inquiry ends with closing speeches by the LPA and the appellant. This is
normally followed by the Inspector visiting the appeal site. Because the inquiry is over, there can be no further discussion about the case during that visit. The arrangements are very similar to the visits that are made as part of the written procedure.
After the inquiry
The Inspector will write their decision or send their report to the Assembly. Where the
Inspector decides the appeal we will send a copy of their decision to:
· the appellant;
· the LPA;
· anyone who took part in the inquiry; and
· anyone else who wrote to ask us for a copy.
For inquiries which the Inspector decides, and which last for one or two days, we aim to issue the decision no later than seven weeks after the close of the inquiry. For inquiries which last longer, or where the Inspector has to write a report for the Assembly, the decision will usually take longer.
Public meeting
Last night local ward Councillors Brian Jones, Jayne Cowan and Adrian Robson held a public meeting at the All Saints Hall in Rhiwbina to discuss the appeal and public enquiry.
Cllr Jayne Cowan informed those present that the Assembly had granted a public enquiry, and said that this was a "positive way forward".
Adrian Robson talked through the enquiry procedure, and reminded those present that all objection letters already sent in to the Council on this matter will be forwarded to the planning inspector - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't write in again!
There's more information on the Planning Inspectorate website - click here.
Adrian reminded everyone that written representations must be received by the inspectorate by 4th July. Write to:
Hefin Jones
Case officer
The Planning Inspectorate
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Jonathan Morgan AM was also in attendance, and he explained that he has experience of 2 major planning appeals.
Thank you to everyone who came - please send your letters of objection to the planning inspectorate now!
Watch this space for more news soon!
Cllr Jayne Cowan informed those present that the Assembly had granted a public enquiry, and said that this was a "positive way forward".
Adrian Robson talked through the enquiry procedure, and reminded those present that all objection letters already sent in to the Council on this matter will be forwarded to the planning inspector - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't write in again!
There's more information on the Planning Inspectorate website - click here.
Adrian reminded everyone that written representations must be received by the inspectorate by 4th July. Write to:
Hefin Jones
Case officer
The Planning Inspectorate
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Jonathan Morgan AM was also in attendance, and he explained that he has experience of 2 major planning appeals.
Thank you to everyone who came - please send your letters of objection to the planning inspectorate now!
Watch this space for more news soon!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Request for public enquiry gets the go ahead!
Good news...
Here's what the Planning Inspectorate had to say...
"Further to my e-mail below I can confirm that the Inspectorate has now reviewed the situation and has decided that the most appropriate procedure for the appeal is the inquiry procedure. Therefore the appeal will proceed on that basis.
Any representations you wish to make on the appeal must be received at the Inspectorate by 4 July.
Kind regards
Hefin Jones
Swyddog Achos/Case officer
Yr Arolygiaeth Gynllunio / The Planning Inspectorate
Adeilad y Goron / Crown Buildings
Parc Cathays / Cathays Park
Caerdydd / Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
029 2082 3856"
Here's what the Planning Inspectorate had to say...
"Further to my e-mail below I can confirm that the Inspectorate has now reviewed the situation and has decided that the most appropriate procedure for the appeal is the inquiry procedure. Therefore the appeal will proceed on that basis.
Any representations you wish to make on the appeal must be received at the Inspectorate by 4 July.
Kind regards
Hefin Jones
Swyddog Achos/Case officer
Yr Arolygiaeth Gynllunio / The Planning Inspectorate
Adeilad y Goron / Crown Buildings
Parc Cathays / Cathays Park
Caerdydd / Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
029 2082 3856"
Thursday, May 22, 2008
PAG is calling for a public enquiry
The Pantmawr Action Group committee met last night to discuss the appeal. The applicants Mitchells & Butler and Asbri Planning (on behalf of Charles Church) have requested that the appeal be made through written representations, rather than a public enquiry.
PAG has contacted the Planning Inspectorate strongly urging them to launch a public enquiry into the matter, following the high profile and strongly supported campaign to SAVE THE PANTMAWR! The Planning Inspectorate have noted PAG's request for a public enquiry.
PAG will be making a statement at the public meeting at All Saints Church Hall, Rhiwbina, Cardiff, at 7pm on Monday, May 26th. All welcome - please come along! Spread the word.
Join us on Facebook here.
PAG has contacted the Planning Inspectorate strongly urging them to launch a public enquiry into the matter, following the high profile and strongly supported campaign to SAVE THE PANTMAWR! The Planning Inspectorate have noted PAG's request for a public enquiry.
PAG will be making a statement at the public meeting at All Saints Church Hall, Rhiwbina, Cardiff, at 7pm on Monday, May 26th. All welcome - please come along! Spread the word.
Join us on Facebook here.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
WRITE TO THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE NOW!
Local Cllr Jayne Cowan has just sent us this update...
"Just a short note to advise that I have made contact with the Planning Inspectorate and they have confirmed the following contact details for people wishing to make their representations.
Although the application has not been formally registered, this should be done in the next few days.
The Planning Inspectorate
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Telephone: 029 2082 3866
Fax: 029 2082 5150
wales@planning-inspectorate.gsi.gov.uk
wales@pins.gsi.gov.uk
I will also post this on our website www.rhiwbinaward.com"
"Just a short note to advise that I have made contact with the Planning Inspectorate and they have confirmed the following contact details for people wishing to make their representations.
Although the application has not been formally registered, this should be done in the next few days.
The Planning Inspectorate
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Telephone: 029 2082 3866
Fax: 029 2082 5150
wales@planning-inspectorate.gsi.gov.uk
wales@pins.gsi.gov.uk
I will also post this on our website www.rhiwbinaward.com"
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