ENVIRONMENT Minister Freddie Cohen has fallen foul of his own Planning Law on proposals for sheltered housing.
When the plans for 450 new homes on green-field sites - including a 280-home retirement village behind St Saviour’s parish hall - were put to the States almost a fortnight ago, the public consultation needed under the Planning and Building Law 2002 had not been done. Senator Cohen has now opened an eight-week consultation and delayed the debate over his ‘Rezoning of land for Category A and lifelong dwellings for the over-55s’ proposition until September. Senator Cohen has accepted overall responsibility for the error but has described it as ‘officer oversight’. The Planning Law stipulates that ‘in preparing the Island Plan or a revision of it the minister will publicise the minister’s proposals and seek representations from the public’. The sites marked for rezoning were backed by the relevant Constables, but no public consultation was done. He has not formally withdrawn the proposition, but Senator Cohen says that the public consultation will be taken seriously. He says that he will amend the proposition, or pull it entirely to lodge different plans, depending on the public responses.
Article posted on 25th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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