Biggleswade Health Centre - failed application

I have to say our Mayor, Councillor Wendy Smith, never fails to amaze me. She is so out of touch with what the Council are actually doing. She has written in the Biggleswade Chronicle, 7th January 2011, (In the Town Hall) and  she has got her facts wrong.

She says: "This application was rejected on a previous occasion..."

No it wasn't. It was deferred in July 2010, in order to give the Council the opportunity to provide further information in respect of heritage assets and ecology. They were given until the end of August 2010 to provide this information so that it could be consulted upon and reconsidered at the October 2010 meeting. The Council failed to meet this timescale and only produced information during October 2010. Would another applicant have been treated so favourably?

At the August 2010 meeting of the Development Management Meeting (Planning) it was resolved that an additional minute be added:

"...and to consult with the PCT and the two doctors surgeries regarding the proposed location"

Neither the PCT or the Doctors Surgeries chose to comment on the revised application, although the Councils Agent inferred that the Doctors supported the application. It was only after my insistence the doctors letters were published online and found to be dated September and October 2009 and just supported the principle of a new health centre, not the proposed location.

She says: "CBC have now been provided with additional information as requested"

Its true additional information was provided in October, but it was not what was asked for.

She says: ... "it could provide many more allotments, many more sports pitches, a play area and woodland walk...adequate parking facilities....and yes, a health centre too if desired"

In October 2010 the Council's agent wrote to CBC and said:

".... the development is to be amended to exclude, relocation of Allotments, Travelling Show Peoples site, woodland and children's play area. The description now is, Health Centre, Sports Pitches, Changing Facilities, with car parking"

She says; "It will add another swathe of land to connect the ring of green belt around our town..."

Several hundred car parking spaces and 6500 square metres of buildings ?

The detailed reasons for refusal which will be shown in the minutes are:

1.The proposed Health Centre, by virtue of its scale and location outside the defined Settlement Envelope where insufficient justification has been provided for the development, would have an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of this rural are where restrictive planning policies apply; as such the proposal is contrary to PPS7, PPG13, and Policies DM3, DM4 & CS14 of the Core Strategy and Development Policies (2009).

2. The application contains insufficient information to show that the development would not result in a detrimental impact upon ecology & habitats and as such the proposal is contrary to PPS9 and Policies CS18 and DM15 of Central Bedfordshire Council's Core Strategy and Development Management Policies.

In 2005, when the Primary Care Trust applied for planning permission on the same site, Biggleswade Town Council objected for reasons which included the following:

1.The design and appearance of the building is completely out of character with the area.

2.Justification has not been given for use of the site