Cheshire East Council has acknowledged there are problems with the ‘reliability’ of its ‘upgraded’ planning system and says it is working with the supplier to make further improvements, writes Belinda Ryan.
The council was contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) following reports 87 residents had complained in one day to a campaign group that they had been unable to lodge objections against a 325-home development proposed for Sandbach.
Tatton MP Esther McVey (Con) recently branded the portal “not fit for purpose” saying it “makes a complete mockery of the planning system” following complaints from her constituents.
And last week the council’s audit and governance committee called for the matter to be looked into, after hearing of numerous complaints from residents unable to upload and sometimes view comments on the system since it was ‘upgraded’ last year.
Cllr David Jefferay, chair of Cheshire East’s environment and communities committee, told the LDRS: “The planning portal is allowing comments and submissions to be securely submitted and received, and we are receiving hundreds of representations through the website on a weekly basis.
“However, we recognise that customers are, at times, reporting challenges with the reliability of the system and we are continuing to work with the supplier to make further improvements.”
He said the system is not specific to Cheshire East but is a nationally used software system.
“The council wishes to ensure that everyone who needs to comment on a planning application is able to do so, and we are reviewing all options,” said Cllr Jefferay (Wilmslow, Ind).
“The council receives a very high volume of comments, and the automation through the current system avoids greater administration delays, costs and manual errors that can occur with email submissions.
“However, we acknowledge that this must work for customers and ensure nobody is excluded from submitting comments on a planning application.
“If residents are struggling to submit their comments, our website has details of other ways in which they can be submitted, such as via post or phone.”
Anyone having difficulty submitting comments via the planning portal can email them to [email protected]
Further information is also available here: cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning/view_a_planning_application/how_to_comment_on_applications/how_to_comment_on_applications.aspx.
We had the whole close and surrounding houses lodge objections to a house being built, even the highway agency recommended against it. Low and behold the council approved the build. If it wasn’t law to pay the council tax I would have suggested that we all refuse as we all feel the council isn’t there for it’s residents at all
How often do we see this?
Public sector do an ‘upgrade’……..and the service gets worse not better ????