Forum Topic

Central Planning Committee

Councillor Jagdish Sharma has thrown his toys out of the pram again, after abstaining on the issue of an illegal building facing enforcement action. He, like many others in the labour group he will always use the "race card" at every opportunity, his latest outburst comes as a result of planning officers using enforcement action against a section of the community who have, over the years flouted planning laws. He now suggests the the council is "institutionally racist". Well Cllr. unless you can provide accurate and substantiated evidence to show that this is the case, may I suggest that you think back to the time when a planning consultant (Nicola Spinks) was brought in, and was scathing in her report on the Central Planning Committee's decisions! So my advice to you is advise your constituents that the planning laws are there for all, so get used to it..using the race card just won't wash any longer. Oh! and tell Alan Keen this as well....if you can find him.Remember when one of your colleagues flouted these laws, and the n denied a constituent permission for a shed in his garden, Institutionally racist or not?

Andrew Michael John Atkinson ● 6259d6 Comments

Why is it that certain Cllrs and MP's seem to believe that people can flout planning laws. Well done LBH for sorting out these people. What would Cllrs Sharma say if one of these properties that had been converted to multi use caught fire and it had no provoision for fire doors etc.

Neil Chippendale ● 6259d

142. 6 Charter Crescent, HounslowSee the report of the Director of the Environment (Agenda Item 8)Mr Coomber presented his report and set out the grounds for enforcement action.Councillor Sharma delivered the following statement and prefaced his comments by making it clear he was not speaking against any planning officer. He stated that he disagreed with the current enforcement policy because it was being implemented for a section of the community, and it was being perceived as ‘Institutional Racist’, which he strongly condemned. On this basis he abstained in voting on this application.For Bath, Connelly, Davies, B Fisher, P Fisher, Grewal A,Grewal P, and Malik NAbstain Cllr SharmaResolved –That the committee considers it expedient, having regard to the provisions of the Unitary Development Plan, and all material considerations, to grant authority for; all necessary steps to be taken for the preparation, issue and service of an enforcement notice in relation to 6 Charter Crescent, Hounslow requiring within three calendar months:Cessation of the use of the house as separate self contained residential unitsThe removal of the kitchen facilities from all but one of the self containedresidential unitsThe restoration of the property to a single dwellingRemoval of all resultant debris;And for: -The institution of any necessary legal proceedings in the event of non-compliance with the above enforcement notice, pursuant to Section 179 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (“TCPA 1990”); andThe carrying out of works in default under Section 178 of the Act in the event of non-compliance with the enforcement notice, including the recovery of the Council’s costs in carrying out such work.Perhaps Cllr. Hughes can enlighten me, as to why this notice is "Institutionally racist" or perhaps Cllr. Sharma himself would do so. Like the HREC's recent item in the press, when they stated that the third runway at Heathrow would effect ethnic minorities, surely it effects everybody under the flight path, regardless of their ethnicity. Is this what we can expect now from these individuals now, who shout from the rooftops about equality! More power to the ruling ICG/Conservative group, who will I am sure, judge issues on their merits, and not on ethnicity.

Account suspended ● 6259d

After delivering his statement,the webcast clearly shows him smiling as though the words he spoke were pre-determined and designed to cause a row locally.In fact it reminded me of Ann Keens smirk at her supporters at the 2005 General Election result when the matter of her not attending a single hustings event was raised.The saddest part of Cllr Sharma`s comments though is the cheap way he threw the race card in to the equation when the simple fact is that all of us regardless of who we are should be treated as equals and the law of the land should never become foggy for him,Alan Keen or anyone.

Paul Fisher ● 6259d

142. 6 Charter Crescent, HounslowSee the report of the Director of the Environment (Agenda Item 8)Mr Coomber presented his report and set out the grounds for enforcement action.Councillor Sharma delivered the following statement and prefaced his comments by making it clear he was not speaking against any planning officer. He stated that he disagreed with the current enforcement policy because it was being implemented for a section of the community, and it was being perceived as ‘Institutional Racist’, which he strongly condemned. On this basis he abstained in voting on this application.For Bath, Connelly, Davies, B Fisher, P Fisher, Grewal A,Grewal P, and Malik NAbstain Cllr SharmaResolved –That the committee considers it expedient, having regard to the provisions of the Unitary Development Plan, and all material considerations, to grant authority for; all necessary steps to be taken for the preparation, issue and service of an enforcement notice in relation to 6 Charter Crescent, Hounslow requiring within three calendar months:Cessation of the use of the house as separate self contained residential unitsThe removal of the kitchen facilities from all but one of the self containedresidential unitsThe restoration of the property to a single dwellingRemoval of all resultant debris;And for: -The institution of any necessary legal proceedings in the event of non-compliance with the above enforcement notice, pursuant to Section 179 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (“TCPA 1990”); and the carrying out of works in default under Section 178 of the Act in the event of non-compliance with the enforcement notice, including the recovery of the Council’s costs in carrying out such work.Perhaps Cllr 'ewes can explain why the council is, in the words of Cllr.Sharma "Institutionally racist", I would be most interested to know?

w John Michael Atkinson ● 6259d

I hate to be pedantic, but from the webcast it would appear that he tried to exclude himself from the vote entirely and told the Chair that he didn't even wish his non-participation to be recorded as an abstention.As there is no provision for such, his vote will pass into history as an abstention, against his express wishes.  Just the latest episode in the farce into which New Labour in Hounslow has descended.

Phil Andrews ● 6259d

People forget that laws like planning laws and noise control etc.are there to be upheld,particularly in a multi-cultural society,so that those laws are seen to be fair and affecting all in the same way so that we can live together more  easily.Sounds like this councillor has his own racist agenda that he needs to address before pointing the finger at anyone else.

Keith Iddon ● 6259d