On 24th November 2003 the Moyle Council agreed to the planning decision to allow the application. So, according to the Planning guidelines (Key Stage 5), we should have been told of this decision “…normally within two weeks”.

And the first we knew of what had been decided was when construction traffic started being driven onto the site on the16th January 2004,. and yet it was a further six months before the final decision notices were issued in June 29th 2004

Why the delay? According to the Planning Case Officer looking after this development, part of the delay is that he is too busy as he has so many different applications to oversee, so he finds he has not the time to carry out this work within the expected timescale. The word "overwhelmed" springs to mind.

The Case Officer told us on 27/5/04 that the Divisional Planning Manager took personal control of these Planning Applications earlier this year. Asked if this was unusual, he replied, "It happens with contentious applications"

The Divisional Planning Manager retired (30 June 2004) one day after he signed the decision notices, and has been replaced by a woman.

By the way, when the first version of this application was submitted and those abutting the sites received their "Neighbour Notification" letters, no-one from Planning (or the developer) informed or sent a Notification to the Distillery which derives its water from the stream that runs alongside the development!. The Distillery is only about 200 yards from the site. (See Distillery page)

The then Planning Case Officer for the development told us during a meeting with her (27/02/2001) that it is NOT a statuary requirement of Planners to issue Neighbour Notifications.

To quote the Planning Service web site ( http://www.planningni.gov.uk/) :-

Blockwork for the foundations of one of the terraces on the site. I thought joints are supposed to be "covered" ?

Photo taken from the Straid Road

(Photographic details:-
300mm lens; 250; f5.6; 400ASA)