No of course not. It never has been. Nevertheless, until now DCC has in most cases made information regarding Straitgate Farm available on request.
At the start of this month, however, we were forced to raise a Freedom of Information request with DCC merely to see, in a timely manner, Aggregate Industries’ response to a meeting Straitgate Action Group instigated with the Environment Agency.
Is this DCC’s way of helping AI win local people’s trust - by hiding documents from scrutiny for as long as possible?
decision-making in the planning world must be seen to be fair, impartial and open when considered from the perspective of an external observer.
There are some basic principles in the planning process; DCC helpfully reminds us what they are:
The planning system relies on ensuring that officers and members act in a way which is not only fair, but also is clearly seen to be so. The planning process must therefore involve open and transparent decision making. The process should leave no grounds for suggesting with any justification that a decision has been partial, biased, or not in any way well founded.
Fair. Open. Transparent.
DCC said AI’s response would be made available in due course - when AI has finished submitting a number of other documents. That may be the end of this week; that may be in six months time. With AI, who knows?
On the other hand, documents submitted by objectors and their solicitors are made available to AI without delay; the further response from Foot Anstey and Vectos, submitted subsequent to AI’s response to the EA, being a recent example. Level playing field?
On the issue of AI’s response to the EA: after their initial objection, the EA produced another response in September. It was our view that matters were not clear, and members of the Group secured a meeting with the EA accordingly. The EA subsequently advised DCC:
we agreed with the Straitgate Action Group that further information should be requested from the applicant…
AI supplied this information three weeks ago to DCC, who then sent it directly to the EA. DCC will not yet make it available to the people that called the meeting.
Why? Is the Council just trying to impede scrutiny from local people? Or is DCC is not interested in any more scrutiny? We know the Council just wants the site delivered; that much must now be clear - even "from the perspective of an external observer".
Under FOI rules, the Council will endeavour to provide a response "no later than 29 November 2017". In the meantime, the documents in question have now been secured through other means - and are available below for local people to scrutinise at their leisure.
