Useless Town Council Planning Committee being useless again.

Does the useless Town Council Planning Committee have a problem with the Town Centre? There is always a call for more retail and services and, yet, the Planning Committee is now against video arcades. When the Surgery was proposed, the Town Council Planning Committee bitterly opposed this. It seems when development is proposed in the Town Centre the Town Council is against it. 

The old Worx nightclub has gone and the owner wants to change this into something the youth of the Town can use. The opening hours are designed for the place to close at 9pm. This is many hours before the drinking establishments kick out.

I feel this is a suitable activity for a Market Town. There is nothing wrong with increased number of youths in the Town. I feel the useless Planning Committee wants the Town Centre to be a museum rather than a working vibrant Town Centre open to all.

Our useless Town Council Planning Committee is also against housing near the Town Centre.

This is not over development. It is in keeping with the area. The useless Town Council Planning Committee uses the old adage "..will create further traffic congestion." An extra 8 houses. No it won't.

Time and again this useless Town Council Planning Committee comes up with some corkers. It should be abolished. This would save officer time and money spent on this committee. In many areas of the country where Town and Parish Councils don't exist then these decisions are taken by the District Council.

What can this Town Council actually do. The CPALC website is very specific. The Town Council has the "Right to be notified of planning applications". The Town Council doesn't have the right to decide planning applications. Nor does the District Council have to take notice of the Town Councils' approvals or objections.

This is a useless committee of the Town Council where some of our Town Councillors can play at being Planners. With no coherent planning policy towards the Town this is a wasteful exercise. Far better to abolish this Committee and free up Officer and Councillor time for matters that they have control over.

This is unlikely to change as Councillors think they can decide Planning Applications and will open up the Town Council to being an ineffective and ridiculed about it decisions. What is also worrying is the Coalition is looking to pass planning decisions down to this level of Government. Being a Liberal Coalition what of the individuals rights over the Community rather than the Governments' rights over the individual?