Ian Harvey, Joint founder of Civic Voice Is our guest speaker at this year’s Annual General Meeting. He will link us into the wider world of Civic Societies in the UK. Monday, April 11 at 7.30pm Shop Front Theatre, City Arcade Non member £2 Refreshments
There is growing concern in the Society over the number of planning applications submitted to the City Council for developments that have already been completed – retrospective planning applications. The result is that local people who might have liked to have their views heard about the application are not able to exert any influence on the decision. Matters like the demolition of buildings, conversion to Houses in Multiple Occupation, cutting down of trees or building on scheduled historic sites are now taking place without any proper planning consideration. It appears there is much flouting of the principals of planning. Surprisingly it is not illegal to carry out development without planning permission. It does not even become illegal if the retrospective planning application is refused. The Council would have to submit an Enforcement Notice first and the developer can object to that. An inspector would then hold a public inquiry into the objection. If the inspector upheld the Council’s decision then the developer would have to comply. But even then the Council has no powers to enforce the decision and would have to go to the Magistrate’s Court to get the right to take action.
The campaign to Save the Priory, launched by the Coventry Observer in February, captured the attention of medieval historian Dr Jonathan Foyle and former Time Team presenter Sir Tony Robinson. It also stirred the imagination of local people. In the 1990s when our Council was bidding for funds to construct the Phoenix Initiative there was a clear interest in the Priory’s past. Here’s an extract from the document to remind ourselves of the city’s commitment
April 2016
All of this is long-winded and expensive for Councils to follow up and although it costs money to submit a planning application, it does not cost anything to appeal. While planning is a statutory service that councils have to provide for the public, enforcement isn’t and many hard pressed councils have chosen to make savings in this area. Perhaps it is not surprising that householders and developers take the risk and go ahead with their developments without permission. In many cases the home owner or developer gets away without ever seeking planning permission. For some forms of development they can apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development after four years if no one notices the development. Interestingly it is often when a home owner decides to sell that the lack of planning permission comes to light. The Solicitors for the purchaser of the building, in order to protect their client’s interests, often require that planning permission is granted before they buy and hence all the retrospective planning applications and applications for Lawful Development Certificates. But it is not only house owners and developers who take advantage of the local authority’s lack of teeth, resources and commitment. Surprisingly there are examples of public agencies taking the same line. Turn over for a revealing story
all those years ago: “Leaving the beautiful and evocative Cathedral area, visitors will first come upon Priory Place, the site of the former Priory Cathedral Church of St Mary founded in 1043, the only church demolished at the Reformation in the years following 1545. Priory Place will pay tribute to that vital flame by explaining and celebrating as thousand years of achievement in a major son et lumiére presentation which will use today’s and tomorrow’s technology to tell yesterday’s story. It will also be the venue for an extensive programme of festivals, pageants, events and activities. We will bring back Coventry’s lost Cathedral in lights—it will rise from the foundations to remind us all of the rebirth of the Human Spirit.” Dr Foyle’s words are poignant. He is quoted in the Coventry Observer as saying: “When you shut down access to the things that make the city truly special,
people then lose interest in the place.” We couldn’t agree more. Notwithstanding the Priory campaign, we need to rethink the part that all our heritage sites should and could play in making our city a true City of Culture. Pictured left: the undercroft of the archaeology of the Priory is revealed, and below, the Priory Visitor Centre and its courtyard.