On the 3rd May 2007 Cllr Philip Martin (pictured below) was elected to SDC for the Folkestone Central ward with 487 votes. He has been a sitting Cllr for 9 years.
Now as an elected Cllr you would expect him to understand the Planning rules just as much as anyone else in Shepway especially as he sat/sits on the Development Control Committee which deals with planning applications, and no doubt having received the offer of some training; which he may or may not have taken. Prior to Mon 22 Dec 2008 Cllr Martin had altered a dwelling from a 4 bed property to a single flat and a maisonette. The Strategic Housing Manager stated that 4 bed properties were in demand but regardless of that fact at that time Cllr Martin went ahead and changed the property. Then on the 22/12/08 Cllr Martin puts in an application for planning permission after the conversion had been completed. All the documents for planning permission can be seen here Y08/1255/Sh
In Nov 2011 Cllr Martin converted a former Doctor’s surgery. The work was completed in April 2012. In May 2015, 3 years after the conversion had taken place Cllr Martin made an application for,Retrospective Planning Permissionwhich he subsequently received.
The retrospective application documents can be seen here
Now Cllr Martin had to do this as he was looking to sell the house, which he did in Oct 2016 for the sum of £233,000.
Cllr Martin is, as we said, very aware as he sits on the Development Control Committee so cannot make any excuses really for not knowing the necessary procedure for seeking planning permission.
Also Cllr Martin is/was an estate agent, running his own business House Martins Estate Agents so should at least have some understanding of the planning rules.
Again, it demonstrates Double Standards as many residents who try to use retrospective planning permission do not always succeed in their efforts.
Might Cllr Martin explain his actions? We think not and as we said it demonstrates that their appears to be one rule for Cllrs and another rule for the rest of us. How much longer will this continue?
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Leave a Reply