District planners have been compared to a Comedy Store act by locals angry at their treatment during debates over controversial planning applications.
For the past five years, members of the public have been allowed three minutes to speak on planning applications during South Shropshire District Council’s Development Control Com- mittee meetings.
The speakers were asked to fill in a questionnaire, outlining what they felt about their treatment at the hands of the planners.
A report to the district council stated that 50 people who filled out the questionnaires from May 2007 to April 2008, were mainly ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with their experience at the meeting.
But for the first time, the ‘very dissatisfied’ box had been ticked.
Six people were ‘very dissatisfied’ with the officers’ presentation and procedures overall.
Overall, 19 speakers felt they did not have enough time to speak, and 16 felt their questions were not answered fully.
One angry speaker wrote: “The proceedings generally were akin to a Comedy Store act. There was no clear direction given from the chair who continually interjected with comments such as ‘I’ve just lost the will to live.”
Another wrote: “Three minutes was insufficient to develop the arguments, but members gave little impression of listening so one felt it was largely a waste of time.”
A report from the district council said, in terms of questions not being answered, it may have been that speakers simply did not hear the answers they wanted to hear.
The report added that new microphones in the meeting rooms had made it easier for members of the public to hear proceedings.
SSDC planning chief Jake Berriman said: “It would not be appropriate for me to comment as the survey feedback is faithfully reported to members for their consideration and discussion.”
