Key questions after 5G mast plan was approved by default
A town council for Windsor was rejected by Conservative councillors in July on the basis that RBWM was more than capable of handling Windsor’s affairs.
Of particular note is the Maidenhead-based council’s retention of control of the over 60 small plots of green space scattered across Windsor.
This week there was a default approval of a 5G mast on one of these areas in Ruddlesway, Windsor.
Shamefully, RBWM failed to fulfil its duty to determine a response to this application within the designated time period. In consequence, the application has received approval without being properly considered by planning officers or by the planning panel.
This is not an argument for or against 5G masts, but one about due process and the ability for RBWM to fulfil all its statutory requirements.
There are many key questions to be answered:1. Why did the council fail to determine the application in due time?
2. Was negligence or lack of diligence involved?
3. Was improper influence or intervention involved?
4. Why was a panel hearing not set up immediately, given the 56 day time limit?
5. Were local councillors advised immediately when it became clear that the council had failed to determine the application in time? If not, why not and what does this say for the Council’s view of the role of local councillors?
6. Why does the report set aside concerns in relation to the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan?
It begs the question how many other planning decisions have been passed through incompetence rather than scrutiny?
We urge MD Duncan Sharkey and lead for planning Cllr Coppinger to lead an immediate investigation into this and to report their findings to the concerned residents.
Windsor residents continue to urge RBWM to create a Windsor Town Council to close this democratic deficit. It is the residents of Windsor who should decide what is built on our green spaces, ensuring that our voice is listened to in the face of continued crippling financial pressures and apparent lack of capacity.