6th April 2005, 04:53 PM
There is that assumption by developers. I once attended a meeting with a curator and afterwards she commented that I told him exactly the same thing she did but why did the developer not believe her.
Given the amounts of money involved developers want their own advice not that of a council employee who is judging their planning application. It is rather like saying that developers also do not need highway engineers, landscape architects or even on occassion architects because their is a free advice service available from the council.
I would also question if council tax payer money should be used to provide a free planning advice service to large profit making companies. (There are council elections on at the moment so I hope may be forgiven for being political.) There is also the question of liability of advice - for example if a curator advises that not very much will be found what compensation or recourse is open to the developer.
Curators also do not do the research neccessary for the planning process on which the advice is based. Their advice is not neccessarily impartial ie it may be that the advice is about what is the most favourable means of handling something. This may differ from what a contractor or curator will say. Certainly a contractor has little incentative to avoid those expensive excation rather than a PIS mitigation strategy.
Peter
Given the amounts of money involved developers want their own advice not that of a council employee who is judging their planning application. It is rather like saying that developers also do not need highway engineers, landscape architects or even on occassion architects because their is a free advice service available from the council.
I would also question if council tax payer money should be used to provide a free planning advice service to large profit making companies. (There are council elections on at the moment so I hope may be forgiven for being political.) There is also the question of liability of advice - for example if a curator advises that not very much will be found what compensation or recourse is open to the developer.
Curators also do not do the research neccessary for the planning process on which the advice is based. Their advice is not neccessarily impartial ie it may be that the advice is about what is the most favourable means of handling something. This may differ from what a contractor or curator will say. Certainly a contractor has little incentative to avoid those expensive excation rather than a PIS mitigation strategy.
Peter