Complaint of maladministration leading to injustice
2/11/09The Friends of Penzance Harbour have made a formal complaint to Cornwall Council regarding their handling of the Penzance Harbour proposals and in particular the misleading actions and statements made by Council officials in respect of the planning application process.
Two “pre-planning” exhibitions and a full set of plans submitted in February 2009 led the public to believe that the entire proposals would be the subject of the normal planning permission process, affording them the opportunity to have local interests taken into account when decisions were made. Cornwall Council is now seeking to rely on the Penzance Harbour Revision Order for authority to go ahead with the scheme (although listed building consent is also required). If they succeed, they will have circumvented the normal provisions of the planning process, with their built-in safeguards for local residents, and therein lies the injustice of which the Friends of Penzance Harbour are complaining.
The complaint will pass through a formal process within Cornwall Council and then, if it has not been addressed to the satisfaction of the complainant, will go to the Local Government Ombudsman.
Letter of complaint sent to Kevin Lavery on 2/11/09 : download pdf | view pdf