‘DPA should not be Cinderella committee’
THE Development & Planning Authority should not be the States’ ‘Cinderella’ committee, but should be at the centre of more subjects, its new president told members yesterday.
Former vice-president Victoria Oliver was elected unopposed.
Deputy Oliver was proposed by Deputy Peter Ferbrache and seconded by Deputy Gavin St Pier, with Deputy Ferbrache saying that no matter what the president of the DPA did, she would always be wrong: ‘She will please absolutely nobody, she knows that. If people get planning permission, or there’s a difficult policy decision, it’s what they should get anyway and if the decision is rejected, it’s all her fault. I wish her well.’
A qualified chartered surveyor, she said her skills were relevant to the role, since her old job demanded attention to every detail, as well as leadership and teamwork. But they were not enough on their own, she said.
The DPA was often seen as the Cinderella committee, often forgotten about: ‘But it should be at the heart of a lot more subjects.
‘I want this authority to become a facilitator, rather than being seen as an obstacle to overcome.
It was the DPA’s job to advise the States on land-use policy and to develop and implement these through development plans and related instruments, plus determining planning applications of all kinds.
‘With Revive and Thrive, as an authority, we need to review the IDP [Island Development Plan]. There is also a review of planning exemptions, which will help fast-track enhancement programmes.’
Along with the digitisation of the planning and building control applications, this should reduce waiting times.
