Open planning meetings losing credibility

STSB president Peter Roffey reflects on the seemingly illogical decision made by the DPA to reject the proposal to establish a temporary inert waste pyramid at Longue Hougue – a move intended to get the States out of a hole entirely of its own making.

A non-decision about what to do with inert waste led to the proposal of a temporary ‘pyramid’. A proposal, compromise really, reluctantly reached by the sponsoring committee, supported by planning officers as being within the law – and then rejected by politicians at an open planning meeting.

At which point the DPA president – who did not vote against – immediately offers to try to find a workaround.

The principle of open planning meetings in Guernsey was sound – justice being seen to be done. Politicians ‘kicking the tyres’ to ensure probity. By necessity that limits scope – the job is to determine if the application is in line with planning policy.

But the appearance now is of something of a ‘folly’ – politicians drifting into policy-making during an OPM when they should be concentrating on the application at hand. On both political and practical grounds, this week’s decision is not credible.