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Mature decision
• LIB Dem members of south area committee turned down the Old Street tower because it was too tall and did not provide an adequate environment for its intended residents.
Although we sympathise completely with the need for more affordable housing, highlighted by S Ferguson (Homes: the votes speak, July 20), we could not turn it down for that reason because the application complied with the council’s policy on affordable homes in force at the time when it was made.
If we had turned it down for reasons that don’t stand up at any resulting appeal, we would have run a risk that the appeal would not merely have succeeded, but we could have had to pay the developer’s costs as well – not a great result for the borough.
West area planning committee has been playing exactly these games with planning decisions and as a result we can expect several of them to be overturned because Labour members can’t bring themselves to stop playing politics with the planning system.
Personally, I am glad the committee took the mature decision to turn down this application, but on grounds we can robustly defend at any appeal.
CLLR GEORGE ALLEN
Lib Dem chairman, south area planning
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