Planning department in further disarray

It’s business as usual, down at the Department of Local Government and the Environment, as the Director of Planning, Ian McCauley is forced to suffer yet another embarrassment following a further administrative error in his division.

This time it relates to a planning approval notice being issued when in fact the application had been refused by the planning committee.

In a letter to interested parties, Mr McCauley explains that it is not possible in law to for the notices to be returned, revoked and reissued (although this didn’t stop previous Director of Planning, Barry Vannan from allowing it in the case of the original Mount Murray approvals); and that the department will have to seek a court order to quash the decision.

The applicant has been advised of the error and informed that they should not commence development on the strength of this ‘erroneous’ approval notice.