Apologies for the delay in the start of the 6 week consultation period on the application that we (and Woodlands Area Residents) have submitted to our two local councils, for a new Neighbourhood Forum for the area.
It has become clear that Hammersmith and Fulham Council were not geared up for the start of the new powers under the Localism Act. This part of the Act came into effect on April 6th 2012, but the council does not yet have arrangements or a staff team in place to handle applications for designation.
RB Kensington & Chelsea, on the other hand, were well prepared. They already have one such consultation exercise in progress (for the Norland Society) and were ready to advertise our applicatiion on their website (as the Act requires) within days of its submission. But they wanted to wait for LBHF so that the 6 week periods could run concurrently.
We have now asked RBKC to go ahead, and for LBHF to follow when they are ready. It is a month since the application was submitted, and the Act requires councils to advertise such proposals ‘as soon as possible’. A delay of a month to carry out a simple task is not impressive.
There will be a stall at the Helens Festival on June 9th (in St Helens Gardens) at which the public will have the opportunity to suggest issues that should be covered in the Neighbourhood Plan. We hope that by then both councils will have published our application and started the 6 week consultation period on the proposed new St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Forum.
A regular open meeting of the St Helens Residents Association, at 4pm on June 30th in the St Helens Church Hall, will then provide the next occasion to discuss ideas for the plan.
Details of the application, including a map of the neighbourhood plan area and the proposed constitution for the new Forum, can be accessed from the links in the posting below.
Is this a deliberate ploy in the department or just Hammersmith and Fulham not being
organised? look forward to our new neighbourhood Forum.
Hammersmith and Fulham seem quick of the mark to assist developers when they want something but slow when local people work within the laws to try an establish a neighbourhood forum to represent local views on planning. Wonder why?