Majority of planning authority against Auberge open meeting
HOLDING an open planning meeting to discuss the former Auberge restaurant at Jerbourg would have raised false expectations and led to far greater frustrations, Development & Planning Authority president Victoria Oliver has said.
The application to convert the former restaurant to residential attracted 69 letters and emails of objection and more than 1,600 people signed an online petition.
Civil servants made the decision to approve the application and some of the objectors criticised a ‘dereliction of duty’ by the politicians for not insisting on an open planning meeting.
When the application was made last spring, Deputy Oliver requested the decision be made at an open planning meeting.
She said her committee was split on whether to go to such a meeting.
‘The committee could see merit in holding an open planning meeting for this application and did support this, however the committee voted by majority that the application be decided by officers under delegated authority,’ she said.
‘This is because, on full assessment of all the facts, the application turned out to be straightforward in terms of the planning considerations and was fully supported by adopted planning policy.
‘In these circumstances the majority thought there would have been no value in holding an open planning meeting as the outcome of the application would inevitably have been approval in line with policy.
‘Any other decision would have been overturned at appeal and would have raised false expectations within the community which would ultimately have led to far greater frustrations.’
The majority of planning applications are dealt with by civil servants under delegated authority.
However, under the DPA’s own rules there are five exceptions to this.
. A committee member has requested formal consideration by the authority.
. A departure from the authority’s established policies.
. The proposal appears to raise particularly contentious or sensitive issues.
. Where the application is by a committee member or senior officer advising the committee.
. An appeal to the planning tribunal, or other legal challenge, appears likely following determination of the application.
In May 2021 Deputy Oliver said she had requested that the application from owner Andrew Haining should be considered and decided in the open forum, but the majority of her committee did not support that.
The other members of the DPA are deputies Andrew Taylor, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, John Dyke and Bob Murray.
