Plans for 24 hour pharmacy rejected

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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on April 15, 2011 at 17:04

Hi Hugh

A small correction. The application was to open the pharmacy 100 hours per week spread over seven days, year round. It was, quite rightly, rejected by the members of the Planning Committee on Monday night. It took a huge amount of work by many people over several months and I know the residents of Turner's Court and the local neighbourhood are very pleased. We had great help from Planning Aid for London who provided real guidance about different use classes and the implications. But applicants can appeal.

 

Thanks to everyone who joined the campaign and posted objections.

 

Zena Brabazon

Cllr, St. Ann's Ward

 

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Permalink Reply by 0nt5yp988rwbo on April 19, 2011 at 16:56

 

And enormous thanks to you Zena - you answered our appeal for help right away, and we could not have hoped for better support throughout the whole process, right from the get go.

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Permalink Reply by John W Leach on April 22, 2011 at 7:16

Amazing stuff.  Why connot the Council "sing from the same hymn sheet"?

 

24 hour Pharmacy not approved in a residential area by Planning Dept.

 

24/7 Off Licence approved in Residential Area (below block of flats) on Alexandra Park Road by Licensing Dept.

 

Complete momsense.

 

John Leach

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on April 22, 2011 at 9:39

John, would you please post the reference number so we can look for it on the Council's webpage.

As a general point, there isn't and cannot be a rigid "hymn sheet" which automatically determines each and every planning and licensing application. If councillors serving on these panels fail to consider a particular application on its facts, then applicants could appeal. And possibly have costs awarded against Haringey!

By the way, the Bridge Renewal Trust (not the Health Centre) applied for a 100 hours per week (not 24 hours a day) pharmacy.

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Permalink Reply by John W Leach on April 22, 2011 at 17:48

 

Dear Alan,

 

I understand all that you say but what I cannot understand is that if local democracy is to mean anything why is it that the wishes of local residents (the voters and Council Tax payers) in one part of the Borough can thwart a 24 hour Pharmacy yet an equally determined group of local residents in another part of the Borough against a 24/7 Off License is allowed.

 

Is the voting voice of one part greater than that of another?

 

Very deniable but it would seem so.

 

John Leach

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on April 23, 2011 at 10:05

Hi John, I think we may be at cross-purposes.

In Planning or Licensing cases, nobody has a greater "voting voice". These are not a matter of "local democracy" in the sense that the decision is based on a headcount of the numbers supporting or objecting to an application.

Planning and licensing are legal processes. Members of the Planning Committee are required to consider only "material" planning factors. Licensing panels have an even narrower range of criteria.

I can't compare the two cases because I know nothing about the Licensing application you mention. For Alexandra Park Road, I suggest you contact one of your three ward councillors who are David Beacham, Nigel Scott and Juliet Solomon.

I do know something about the Pharmacy application at The Laurels. I watched the Planning Committee. Also my partner Cllr Zena Brabazon with her ward colleague Cllr David Browne have been spending hours and days on it over the past three months. As have the local campaigners and everyone else involved in trying to prevent this degeneration in a residential street.

The battle isn't yet over. The Bridge Renewal Trust, an unaccountable, unresponsive publicly-funded Quango, can waste even more public cash on an appeal. (This at a time when vital services which actually matter to local people are having to be cut!)

Of course, the local residents who objected had no public funds backing them up. Their experts gave their advice and time for free.

David Browne is now on holiday, but I'll ask Zena to post a bit more information about the Bridge Trust campaign.

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Permalink Reply by pamish on April 23, 2011 at 12:27

Hasn't The Bridge been wound up now? It was a ten year project, now ended, with somewhat questionable democratic processes guiding them along meanwhile.

 

I won't mention the two million pounds they gave to Graingers to help their Wards Corner plans.

 

If planning was about numbers, the five hundred or so objections to the Grainger plan would have left it dead in the water years ago.

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