You're right, a ringing phone is a distraction, but that's why it doesn't need to be a target - if some lazy individual is sat at their desk and can't be bothered to pick up the phone with a relative degree of promptness then someone should have a word, end of problem.Pre-app meetings on major applications now cost, typically, several thousand pounds, and, like you say, at the end of it all the applicant only gets an informal Officer opinion.I prefer Officers, when I submit an application on behalf of a client, to give an informal opinion and keep me informed during the determination process, whereas nowadays the standard line you get is "well you submitted the application in its current form so we can determine the application" - in reality it's just to keep their performance figures good. Had a job afew months back where despite extensive chasing on our part, 11 weeks into a 13 week major app, having done various tweaks to address prompt comments made by the GLA and all other statutory consultees, the Highways Officer and Urban Design of the actual Council itself, who had never made any comments until that point, suddenly said "we don't like it". Case Officer says "they don't like it, you haven't got time to make any more changes before the 13 week statutory deadline, it's going to be refused". We subsequently meet with those Officers and their concerns are extremely minor, but my client has to go through all the expense and time/delay of resubmitting.I know of some Councils where officers aren't actually allowed to give an informal opinion/confirm their own recommendation until the big boss has agreed their recommendation - it's no surprise why the general quality of staff in planning departments has deteriorated over the last 10 years.Back to the skips issue, if you read Sarah's latest email from what she saw last night and what she'd hope to see from the out of hours service then it shows, in my view, how the expectation of the public towards any Council is so wholly unrealistic, the pigs you mention keeping are flying in the sky.And please don't bring politics into this, did the skip issue exist before May 2006 ?!. I actually agree with you re. the trip to MIPIM (Cannes) - everyone in the business knows it's nothing more than a booze up, I'm in the business and I only know one person that went, an ex-Sales Director with a major housebuilder, whose a friend of mine and went for the sole reason to party. As I've said before, there's nothing Councillors or Officers could have learnt at MIPIM (well at least nothing related to regeneration or planning ;-)) that they couldn't have learnt by going to a training day/seminar in London or visiting local planning consultants/architects etc.
Adam Beamish ● 6367d