Residents views ignored and belittled at planning committee – by a chair who was banned from teaching

March 2022

If builders want to construct or demolish something, they usually need the approval of Cardiff’s planning department and/or the planning committee.

The ruling group controls the planning committee with a clear majority of members and installed a controversial councillor as its chair.  This person has was banned for teaching for a year by the General Teaching Council for falsifying exam results.  He was later suspended from the Labour Party for “inappropriate use of social media.”  

From observing planning committees, Cardiff Civic Society believes that he has shown bias towards developers and against local people.  We believe that in high profile planning cases, he places easy questions to those proposing the development; repeats the arguments in favour of the development and - in line with the rules of committee - allows only the shortest of opportunities for residents to put their case.  Furthermore, under current rules, residents have no right to reply in meetings, nor any right to appeal against decisions.

One case exemplifies what we believe is Cardiff Council’s institutional support for developers and disdain for local residents.  In March 2021, a council official, who should be neutral, celebrated when the planning committee voted in favour of a highly controversial plan for a new incinerator in Splott.  This shocking behaviour made the national news.  Whilst the plans were subsequently dropped and replaced with an application for a different use, we believe that the incident betrayed the bias at the heart of Cardiff planning system under the current leadership - for developers and against local people.  It exemplified the council’s practice of promoting developer schemes and disdainful attitude to the public.

To start tackling these issues Cardiff Civic Society’s Vision for Cardiff calls on the Council to: 

• Give greater powers to community councils in the planning process, and support the creation of a community council in every ward.

• Directly elect chairs of local planning committees to increase their independence from the ruling party and hence enhance accountability to voters (a change that will require legislation from Welsh Government)