How You Can Help
In light of the council’s latest response to the recent breach of planning control, it’s important you help us challenge the decision. There are two ways of helping:
Make a complaint to the Planning Department.
We have some suggestions for points you can include, but you can just say that you are unhappy with the council’s latest decision regarding use for worship at Hamptons.
It’s important let them know how you feel about this latest disgraceful abuse of the council’s powers. You have again been denied the right to consultation, and the council is clearly not protecting the rights of local residents.
You can also include the following:
The council issued clear and specific instructions to the Chelmsford Muslim Society regarding permissible uses on 05/11/2020. The latest breach of planning control is beyond the use specified on 05/11/20, and is clearly an increase in religious use, taking place late at night and for 30 continuous days. Please can you explain why the council has changed it’s position again.
Your ruling clearly mentions the use of “several rooms” by the Chelmsford Muslim Society, which also is outside of the 05/11/20 ruling which specified one room.
The recent increase in religious use comes after the new building uses classes were introduced on 01/09/20. The new religious use must therefore to fall within the “F1(f) Public worship or religious instruction (or in connection with such use)” category, which is now not linked to the “community use” category that was D1. As such, you are incorrect to rule this increased use is permissible under the “community use” of the building covered by the old Sui Generis use class.
The council have once again ignored the late night noise and disturbance to the residential amenity, and seems not to be protecting the rights of local residents
Plans submitted to the council last year specifying the use of two rooms for worship were rejected, and officers ruled that such a use would need planning permission. This is clearly exactly what is now happening at Hamptons, why have the council not commenced enforcement ?
Feel free to cut and paste as you wish, or use your own wording. But please raise a complaint !
Use the button below to contact Planning, use “Other Planning Enquiry” on the dropdown menu.
COMPLAIN TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR
Please contact your local councillor to let them know how you feel about this latest disgraceful abuse of the council’s powers. You have again been denied the right to consultation, and the council is clearly not protecting the rights of local residents.
Since all attempts to hold the council accountable through the complaints procedure have been stonewalled, please ask your councillor to refer this issue to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for a formal investigation, and a public hearing.
Please use this button to find your councillor, their email address will displayed under their name