Couldn't agree more Paul. One of my biggest concerns nowadays is that at Planning Committees most Borough Solicitors/Legal Officers tend to sit there and contribute very little to the meeting, when the discussion amongst Members has often gone completely 'off tangent' and onto an issue that isn't a material planning consideration, and thus needs to be brought back to what is before Members for consideration. Reminds me very much of both how Mike Smith and Terry Welsh often had to 'spell it out' to both the Hounslow and Heston & Cranford Area Committees during my time at Hounslow.As you say experience is key, it works the same way with Officers too, I may have spent 4 years at uni obtaining both a BA degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Planning but that education really teaches very little about the day to day job, how to make properly/fully considered judgements etc.Interesting that Ian didn't think the garden was that bad, I thought it was a very obvious decision to enforce, although the ease at which the direct action route progressed was rather laughable - the Officer seemed completely untroubled by the fact the Council was paying £7k for the clearance yet seemed to have no contact with the owner and thus would not have recovered its costs anytime soon. I did afew (not many) direct actions myself and carrying out the work is the easy bit, making sure all the legal protocols are followed and securing recovery of the expense is anything but easy and hence, even more so now with funding cutbacks etc., direct action is an absolute last resort.
Adam Beamish ● 4562d