D-Day for Colchester school access road is delayed (From Gazette)

D-Day for Colchester school access road is delayed

6:00am Friday 19th March 2010 in

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

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

But the decisions have been delayed after residents complained their letters of support and objection had not reached planning officers.

Martin Hunt, ward councillor for Christ Church, said he had asked planning officers to put back both applications until April 1.

He added: “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.

“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 morning.

The first 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 £130million borough-wide transformation of secondary education without it.

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