Council planners rapped for 'unreasonable behaviour' to developer over 64-homes Scartho project

                                                   

Torbay Drive - the development site is on the other side of the hedge

THERE has been a new financial blow to cash-strapped North East Lincolnshire Council.

Having lost an appeal over a planning matter, it has emerged that it must also pay part of the developer’s costs for the hearing.

The cash will provide a welcome windfall for Kevin Snape, boss of  Snape Properties Ltd.

It will be the icing on the cake after an independent planning inspector further ruled in favour of his application to build 64 homes on a field to the west of 30 and 31 Torbay Drive, Scartho.

However, the appeal decision by an independent inspector, coupled with the costs award, is an  embarrassment for councillors on North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee.

Back at a meeting in November last year, they unwisely rejected the recommendation of experienced planning case officer Cheryl Jarvis that the scheme should be approved.

It will be the council taxpayer who will have to pick up the tab for the councillors' misjudgement.

In his recently-published report, the inspector, Bhupinder Thandi  maintains that the council made "vague, generalised or inaccurate assertions  which were unsupported by any objective analysis" about the likely impact  of the proposal on the local roads

He says this amounted to "unreasonable behaviour which resulted in Snape Properties incurring unnecessary expense".

NELC and Mr Snape have now been invited to negotiate on the extent of costs - as yet unconfirmed but likely to be in five figures.

If they are unable to reach an agreement, arbitration will be required.

* Meanwhile, residents in around Torbay Drive remain dismayed that the inspector has overturned the council's planning decision, with some retaining garden signs expressing their continuing opposition.

                                         

The field earmarked for 64 new homes