Rail Freight Proposal refused.

Update on my last post - following a long and very thorough debate, the proposals for a massive freight terminal and distribution depot at Park Street were refused unanimously by the Planning Referrals Committee.

Interesting to compare the public attendance at this planning meeting - which had to be moved to a theater - with the budget meeting of the council two days later. The ratio of attendance by members of the public at the two meetings was about three hundred at the planning meeting compared with six people, two of them former councillors and one a councillor's spouse, to hear the budget and set. A ratio of fifty to one.

Why is it that hundreds of people will turn out to listen to speeches on planning applications, where the budget meeting which is normally regarded as the most important meeting of the year attracts an attendance in single figures?

Can't be the question of whether there are political speeches - there were plenty on both evenings. Can't be the fact that the government has the final say - this applied to both events as well. (The planning application may go to appeal where it will be heard by an inspector and then the final decision made by a minister: council budgets are heavily influenced by government grants and targets.)

I suspect the difference in attendance may indicate that the decision on a planning application can have more impact on the lives of those most affected than one year's council tax usually has on any individual.

Comments

Komail Noori said…
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Regards,
Komail Noori
American Freight - Freight Quote
3:03 pm
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