Briarwood developer calls for Taylor vote to be declared void
BRIARWOOD’S developer is calling for a deciding vote in this week’s open planning meeting to be voided over alleged conflicts of interest.
The Development & Planning Authority was divided at this week’s meeting about whether to approve 26 new homes around the Grande Rue car park in St Martin’s.
President Victoria Oliver and member John Dyke backed the scheme from Sarnian Properties Ltd and Infinity Construction.
But vice-president Andrew Taylor and member Sasha Kazantseva-Miller both voted to defer the scheme, with worries expressed about its viability, which meant the developer did not want to include any affordable housing. They were also worried about the Office of the Children’s Convenor losing some of its privacy, as the site would lose part of its garden and a new access road would go right past the building.
Project director Alex Knowelden said the morning after the meeting that two potential conflicts of interest for Deputy Taylor, neither of which he had declared had come to light overnight.
One was that his mother was an executive officer at the Office of the Children’s Convenor, which is listed on his declaration of interest as a States member. The other was that he was a Freemason, which has its lodge situated to the west of the car park.
‘We are requesting his vote be voided,’ Mr Knowelden said.
Before the meeting members were asked to declare conflicts of interest. Deputy Taylor said his only conflict was that he occasionally parked in the Grande Rue car park.
When spoken to about the developer’s concerns yesterday, he confirmed his mother’s position, which was declared on his interests document. He said this made no difference at all, as she would continue to be paid whether the application goes through or not.
He also confirmed that he is a member of the Freemasons, which made a representation regarding historic rights to parking in the area.
On both fronts he said: ‘I see no conflicts of interest there at all.’
Development & Planning Authority president Victoria Oliver said she had not been aware of these issues.
‘At the start of the open planning meeting, each member of the DPA had a clear opportunity to declare whether they had any conflicts of interest,’ she said. ‘Deputy Taylor stated that he had no conflict of interest that would prevent him from considering the application and the meeting proceeded on that basis.’
