We have an active planning sub-committee which reviews all planning applications posted on the Cotswold District Council web site that affect Chedworth village and its surroundings. Chedworth is situated within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in particular has a conservation area within the village. The Society’s considered opinion is often solicited by Cotswold District Council as an informed voice of the community and we engage in dialogue with CDC to help ensure that the visual appeal of the village is protected. The fund of local knowledge within the society is an important element in debating planning issues.
Jan Harrison and Dave Whittles are the committee members on this sub-committee. Martin Harrison, Ian Morgan and Mark Aveline all contribute input to this important process. We are very happy to receive input from local villagers who have specific concerns regarding an application.
Our review has identified inaccurate submissions, omissions of fact and material changes that have not been identified by the Cotswold District Council planning team. Typically these are genuine errors, however there are some common planning steps that we monitor to ensure that a full impact assessment can be made. It is not uncommon to find that applications include ‘no tree work’ in an initial application only for this to be changed at a later stage, for example. This type of application is sometimes deliberate, a means of avoiding significant objections at an early stage. Tracking changes such as amendments that do require tree removal we are able to draw such matters to the planning department’s attention.
