THE chairman of a rural campaign group has accused a council of depriving his group and others of a chance to have their say by failing to tell them about planning applications.

THE chairman of a rural campaign group has accused a council of depriving his group and others of a chance to have their say by failing to tell them about planning applications.

Waveney District Council has been sending lists of all new applications registered to interested parties, including the Suffolk Preservation Society (SPS), which is the county branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, and to local media, parish councils and others. They have been sent out on a roughly weekly basis.

But when SPS chairman Mike Coleman asked on Monday why he had not seen any for some time, nine weeks' worth were sent out at once, dating back to early November, with many applications already decided by planning officers.

Dr Coleman said: “Effectively we have all been disenfranchised. Some of these applications have already been determined and we have had no say in it. Most are not particularly significant, but there is an application about the Waveney Campus and the land level being raised which we would like to have had a say in.

“The applications have been advertised in the paper, so legally they are watertight - but I have not been checking the paper because I thought I was getting the lists.”

He added: “We would like to work with Waveney. In the SPS we are concerned about the quality of building

design across Suffolk and we would like to help them improve it.”

Waveney communications manager Phil Harris said: “Dr Coleman is e-mailed the planning lists as a courtesy and has received them on a weekly basis for some considerable time.

Although a number of unavoidable factors led to a recent backlog in the distribution of these lists,

Dr Coleman would be fully aware that all live planning applications are accessible from the council's website, which is updated instantaneously and also includes the weekly list.

“The web link has also appeared as a reminder on every planning list he has received and he is a regular visitor to our offices, enjoying access to any planning applications he requires.

“Given the wealth of information easily available to him, we are surprised and disappointed he has chosen to make such a public complaint at a time when we are trying to forge closer working relations with the SPS.”