The onlineFOCUSÂ team have received this communication from Rochford District Council in regards to the Timber Grove planning application. The officer cites one of the reasons for bringing the application back to committee as the ‘poor IT in relation to this presentation’
This is somewhat surprising, considering the IT systems at RDC being somewhat ‘flaky’ in their entirety. There are now numerous questions that will follow this decision by the Assistant Director.
Probably one of the most important questions is why wasn’t the meeting adjourned at the time by the Chairman, Senior Council officers or indeed senior members?
Does it now mean that every application that has been in front of the development committee will now be subject to review if there was deemed to be an IT ‘issue’ during the presentation and will residents who have been unable to submit objections and comments due to IT failures be permitted to ask for a deferment on an application? This could be a real can of worms!
Of course, the other question is whether the members will have a change of heart on the night?