Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: BREAKING NEWS >>> >>> District Council withdraws appeals and commits to publishing full Pegasus contract
These documents have since been published on this blog:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: full Pegasus contract published
The wider press and on-line media have been showing interest:
Streetlife | The Knowle and Pegasus
Key EDDC documents regarding Knowle sale now published. They make interesting reading. | Save Our Sidmouth
“Knowle relocation project: full Pegasus contract published” | East Devon Watch
EDDC forced to publish documents on Knowle relocation – again | East Devon Watch
This press statement has just been released:
PRESS STATEMENT
EA/2016/0279-0280 East Devon District Council v
Information Commissioner
It is well over a year since Freedom of Information
requests were made to have key EDDC documents published – the contract with
developer Pegasus to buy the Knowle site and the agent’s report on the bidding
process and sale.
EDDC refused to publish these, even after being told to
by the Information Commissioner. But, now that the case has gone to Tribunal,
it has decided to release the documents.
But why now?
What is very clear is that the release of the contract
and agent’s report is happening only now that Pegasus’ planning application for
Knowle has been considered.
As the EDDC press release makes clear: “With the
PegasusLife planning application having been refused, it is considered that
this sensitivity has now been reduced and that publication of the information
is acceptable.”
And this is very much the point.
Not only was the leadership at EDDC keeping this
‘sensitive’ information from the public – it did not want its own Councillors
to know what was in the contract and the bidding process. What is particularly
alarming is that the leadership at EDDC hid these details from the planning
committee (the DMC) before it made its decision over Knowle.
Looking at the details, the documents reveal the
following:
> The agent warned that the development might be
perceived by the planning committee as ‘over development’. As they said: “If
this is the case, then the application may lead to refusal, delay or in the
worst case prevent the relocation of the Council’s offices.”
> The agent also said that “Pegasus is not making any
allowance for affordable housing or 106 contributions, as they are classing it
as C2”. In other words, the plans were always about classifying the development
as C2 (a care home) and not C3, which would mean paying for affordable housing.
> Finally, Pegasus were not prepared to offer significant
‘overage’ – meaning that EDDC would not be able to ‘claw back’ any excess
profits Pegasus might make.
But what is particularly disturbing is what these
documents reveal about how EDDC operates:
> From the outset, Planning Officers challenged the C2
designation and the scale of development and clearly wanted to give the site C3
status – but later they changed their mind and recommended approval of the
Pegasus plans.
> In which case, the DMC have been totally vindicated
in their decision to reject the planning application. But we only know this now
that the contract and bidding process have been revealed.
> Had the Full Council been aware of the terms of the
deal with Pegasus – for example, no significant overage – then then their
approval of Pegasus as the ‘preferred developer’ might not have been forthcoming.
> The Information Commissioner insisted that EDDC
reveal the contract and negotiations to the public. But what is particularly reprehensible
is that the leadership at EDDC refused to reveal these crucial details to their
own Councillors.
We now have to ask how the Council will respond – in
particular, whether they will want some answers as to how the whole process was
mismanaged.
And we have to ask why once again the leadership at EDDC
continue to be so secretive in their dealings over the Knowle relocation
project – and whether they are going to act on their promise to be truly open
and transparent – with both the public and their own Councillors.
END
Jeremy Woodward
26th January 2017
See also:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: BREAKING NEWS >>> planning application REFUSED by District Council
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: planning application to be considered by District Council: Tuesday 6th December >>> planning officers dismiss the need for affordable housing, their own Local Plan, and similar PegasusLife applications which have been refused
And:
Land-sale overage - Wikipedia
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