Important meeting
Wednesday 22nd April 6.30pm Globe House

It is now only five weeks until Southwark run out of time for determining our application for NF status. Of course, our application was made some three years ago but the Council traded on the fact that there was no statutory time limit for determining applications until introduced by the Government in January to stop local authorities using the simplest method of avoiding meddling locals sticking their nose into the furtive and lucrative business of planning.

The Council have been reduced to contriving some basis for refusal. Rather clutching at straws they have come up with:
1.We are not representative enough
2. Our constitution is not good enough
3. We must think the Council’s own planning policy is incapable of improvement

After numerous invitations the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, Mark Williams has agreed to attend our meeting, on Wednesday 22nd April, accompanied by Head of Planning, Simon Bevan, to explain what we will need to do to meet the Council’s high standards of community engagement and responsiveness.

Of course, if the meeting is unimpressed by the reasoning of Messrs Williams and Bevan – not an unknown reaction – it may come to them explaining how they are legally empowered to refuse our application.

Unless they can find the excuse they are looking for our application will have to be approved by 25th May 2015. Thereafter we will finally be able to get on with what we started three years ago and introduce some local wishes and initiatives to shape our immediate environment.

This meeting not to be missed. All welcome.