A resident involved in a neighbour-on-neighbour barn barney accused planners of deliberately ignoring a criminal offence when a building was taken down in a conservation area.
The development control committee was told that technically an offence was committed when a 150 year-old barn was taken down without prior permission in Emberton but that the council took an “expedient” view.
Previous meetings of the committee, when discussing planning applications for Mounts House, heard that the homeowners had been given permission to convert the stone barn.
Councillors were told that while carrying out the work builders found the barn was in danger of imminent collapse and they started to dismantle it.
But one of her neighbours, Andy McGrandle pointed out a series of errors in the case, including that a conservation officers had not carried out a site visit, and that information had been lost.
Councillors called for the issues to be reviewed, and the subsequent report was presented to councillors last week.
For Mr McGrandle the main issue at Thursday’s meeting of the development control committee was the alleged criminal offence.
“The report does not discuss any of the issues over the demolition of the barn, or that the enforcement officer completely ignored a criminal offence, and failed to investigate the circumstances.”
He slammed the planning department for sending out a message that “you can build whatever you want and even commit a criminal offence with impunity because MK’s planning enforcement is ineffective.”
He added: “Something is wrong in the planning department and it needs to be fixed in order to restore the trust of the public.”
Mr McGrandle was supported by two Olney ward councillors, David Hosking and Peter Geary.
Cllr Hosking (Cons) said: “This review provides further proof of failures in the planning service.
“It’s the responsibility of the leadership in that service to put things right.”
Tracy Darke, the council’s director of planning, strategic transport and
placemaking said: “There’s no disagreement around it not being a criminal offence, it’s just whether we should be taking action and at the time, because of the circumstances, a decision was made not to take formal enforcement action.”
The applicants were advised to lodge a planning application, which they did, and it was approved.
Ms Darke said the council’s enforcement plan is being reviewed and improvements have been made in the way the council keeps its records. The Local Government Ombudsman had also found flaws.
And Myles Joyce, the council’s interim development management manager, said the council’s approach was supported by case law in the courts.
Development control committee chairman Cllr Anthony Brown (Tattenhoe) said: “We’re well aware that there are things we need to improve and address and I feel that all the officers have done nothing but been absolutely committed to doing that.”
