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"Second class stamp to blame" for mobile phone mast planning permission

Tower Hamlets local council officials seem constantly anxious to find chances to boost their reputation for being the most inept, and unresponsive (if not just downright dishonest) local authority workers in Britain; and this week it emerged that by saving the cost of a first class stamp, they've managed to allow a phone company to erect a cellular mast where planners had refused permission for it.

Residents of Manchester Road, in London's Docklands, opposed the erection of an Orange phone mast. They got together, approached council planners, and the planners agreed that this was not an appropriate place for a mast.

What happened next is remarkable, even by rotten borough standards.

Officially, there was no skullduggery. What happened was economy: the Council had to notify Orange of its failure to gain planning consent. But - and this is the loophole - the regulations stipulate that refusal of consent must be notified within a maximum period, reports the local newspaper, Docklands 24 in its April 26 edition.

Tower Hamlets sent the notice of refusal to Orange the day before the deadline - and this alone should have ensured that there was a substantial chance that it would be late, since first class post has a dismal record in the capital.

Perhaps the small chance that it would arrive on time was too much of a risk for the officer involved? Or perhaps the local post office had run out of first class stamps? Officially, it was decided to save valuable rate-payer money.

Whatever the reason, the letter went to Orange second class - almost a guarantee that it would arrive at least two days later.

That's one day too late. And so, since they hadn't been notified in time, Orange staff cleverly realised that they had, de facto, permission to erect the mast: and there it is to this day, disguised as a lamp post, complained resident Jenny Purshouse.

If the newspaper suspected collusion between a council official and the executives asking for planning permission, it was tactful enough not to say so.

It did, however, report that this  local resident was awarded compensation of £150. "The £150 was given to Mrs Purshouse, not as compensation for the mistake, but for the council's failure to follow complaints procedure correctly," said the report.

In future, Tower Hamlets will send planning refusals by recorded delivery, the story concluded.

Tags: planning permission, rotten borough, mast debate, radiation