Planning staff shortfall may harm Borough, say Lib Dems

9.15.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 11th Sep 2006

Despite Bromley Borough having a large number of Conservation Areas, big building projects starting soon and one of the highest number of planning applications in London, at some points in the summer there was only one Planning Enforcement Officer on duty.

The shortage of staff in the Council's Planning Enforcement office may soon have a detrimental effect on the Borough, Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr David McBride warned Monday night's meeting of the Council.

The Enforcement officers are responsible for checking that buildings are being built in accordance to submitted plans and liaising with the Council's lawyers to serve legal notices if necessary. Despite the Borough having a large number of Conservation Areas, big building projects starting soon and one of the highest number of planning applications in London, at some points in the summer there was only one Planning Enforcement Officer on duty.

Cllr David McBride told the Council meeting that this staff shortage could mean that in some cases buildings will be built which are different from those given permission. "Bromley has a high number of Conservation Areas which by their very nature need protecting and there will soon be large projects such as Tesco in Orpington which will need careful watching," he said. "It concerns me that there are not enough staff to effectively monitor these applications and take action if necessary. I hope that this situation is looked at carefully and rectified," he added.