e-mail from Councillor David Wakefield to Chief Executive, Rodney Stone, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council - 9 July 2001


From:
David.Wakefield1@tesco.net
To:
Rodney.Stone@TunbridgeWells.gov.uk

09 July 2001 09:34
Subject: Telephone House

Dear Rodney,

Telephone House - Church Road

The Inspector's decision on the above is now to hand, and I am amazed to see that he did take into account in reaching that decision, the draft Local Plan (see Pages 3 and 4 of his Report) despite

  1. your assurance to Council on 23rd May, in response to my question, that he could not and would not do so
  2. that the draft Local Plan was not in the Public domain at the date of his enquiry

I would be grateful if you would let me have the answer to the following questions

  1. is his decision incorrect ?
  2. can it be challenged ?
  3. how did he obtain a copy of the draft Local Plan ?

The Inspector on Page 5 points out that the trees on the south side of York Road "do provide a degree of visual amenity", but that they are not protected. - What is there stopping us from placing a TPO on these trees?

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Yours sincerely,
David Wakefield



Could the Inspector's decisions have been challenged ?

The Trees in York Road between Trinity House and No. 27 York Road, Tunbridge Wells

Bizarrely, Policy H6(a) allocated for Telephone House was identical to the two refused planning applications for the Telephone House development.
[1st: refused at delegated officers' level - 2nd: refused by the Councillors of the Western Area Planning Committee].
Policy H6(a) is the most controversial document, produced by the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, leading to the Telephone House Debacle.