Decision on Philip Morant access road delayed (From Gazette)

Decision on Philip Morant access road delayed

5:50pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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D-DAY on an access road key to a £130 million investment in Colchester’s schools has been delayed after residents’ views went missing.

Colchester Council’s planning committee were due to run the rule over two applications to build an access road to Philip Morant School on Thursday evening.

But the decisions have been delayed a fortnight following complaints from residents that their letters of support and objection had not reached planning officers.

Council deputy leader Martin Hunt, speaking as a ward councillor for Christ Church, said he had asked planning officers to put back both applications until the next meeting on April 1.

He said: “The reason they’ve been withdrawn is it transpired that a number of letters from residents in my ward and Irvine Road Residents Association have been held up in the system and hadn’t got to the officers in time for the report to be written.

“It was a process flaw and the officers are investigating to find out how these particular submissions came to be held up in the system.”

He added: “There is no ulterior motive - the committee will decide based on the facts in two weeks.”

Mr Hunt added a report from Essex County Council’s highways department had also only arrived yesterday*weds* morning.

One application was to renew planning permission for a road going through “the Green”.

It resulted in huge opposition last year when it transpired the school would not support a £130 million borough-wide transformation of secondary education without it.

The second is a compromise agreement following talks between representatives from the school, councils and residents associations.

One application was to renew planning permission for a road going through “the Green”, which resulted in huge opposition last year when it transpired the school would not support a transformation of secondary education without it.

The second is a compromise agreement following talks between representatives from the school, councils and residents associations.