Topic: Reluctant council contact.

[medicinejack]

Hi all,
Our society has been constituted (informally for a year) and formally for about 9 months (monthly meetings well attanded and list of applicants growing rapidly). We have a site and have had site meeting with council Estates Dept 4 months ago, where they promised to contact Planning Dept to establish 'informally' if site was viable.

No word as yet and no reply to e-mails unless I cc County Councillor.

Should I now complain to this 'worker's' bosse.

I don't want to push him, but I would appreciate advice from anyone who has had to deal with such an overworked, and possibly inept, official.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Why is there a question about the viability of the site?

[medicinejack]

He's trying to establish, 'informally, if there are any plans for building on the site. He's been doing this since April 3rd.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That should be easy to discover.

[medicinejack]

That's what we are thinking, but this guy seems to be making a meal of it. Unless, that is, there are secret plans for the site that they don't want to divulge to the local community.

I don't know what my next steo is, other than to lodge an official complaint, and having worked for the council, I know the negative response that can bring from OUR trusted employees.

Any other ideas, anyone?

[kt.]

If possible,  arrange an appointment at his office to go through what you require.  If this is not viable and he is not forthcoming with the information,  politely ask if he has contact details of somebody who is in more of a position to give you a definitive answer to your questions.  If you still have no joy then you may have to go to his superiors.

[Unwashed]

So the allotments are on council land, and the council has granted the allotment association a lease to manage the site as allotment gardens?  Do you have all that in writing?  How long does the lease run for?

[medicinejack]

We have formed a partnership with the Community Council to establish the site, had a site visit with this representative from the County Council, but have now ground to a halt because of a lack of feedback from the county official.

In principle everything is in place.

[Unwashed]

Like I say, who owns the lease on the site?  The Society?  The Community Council?  The County Council? 

When you say partnership, what exactly do you mean?

How exactly are the Society and Community Council going to manage the site?  Who owns the lease on the site and who will sublet allotment plots to tenants?

It's not really got anything to do with Planning.  I'd have thought you'd be talking to Estates or the Parks Dept. about leasing the site, because they either lease it to you or they don't.

What's the history of the site - if it's owned by the County Council how dod they come to own it - it matters because statutory allotment sites have greater protection from  development.

[BrianK]

Consult a solicitor!

[ceres]

It sounds to me as if the situation is this: a group of people have formed a new allotment society.  The society and council have held discussions/meetings and identified a possible council-owned site.  The council wants to check that there are no alternative plans for the proposed site.  Progress is now stalled because the person at the council doing the checking is not responding.

You could bypass this official and try a Freedom of Information Act request to the council yourself to obtain the information about any plans for the site.  They are legally obliged to respond to FOI requests within a defined timescale.  Otherwise, just go up the food chain.  They work for us you know!

[medicinejack]

The proposal is that the County Council leases the land to us (and the Community Council) and the society runs the site.

Our partnership with the Community Council will allow us shared public liability etc.

The guy I'm dealing with is from Estates, but seems intent on the prolonging the 'consulting Planning' digression.

I think the site is ex-NCB and I also think we'll try a FOI request.

Thanks all,

I'll keep you posted.

[ceres]

I think the site is ex-NCB and I also think we'll try a FOI request.

It's worth a go.  I was having trouble getting info from a Council department and mentioned it to a Councillor.  He suggested using FOI, says it always gets them moving.  Good luck!