23/24 tax year sees the Planning department cost taxpayers £2.2million.
They fail to process 290 applications in a year.
Remember the applicant pays fees as well from a few hundred to a few thousand. So let’s say they also raise a conservative £55,000 if an average of £250 is paid. In one case the total was £758.
Craig Wilson, head of planning is a liar.
Offers to help people, blackmails them. Then ignores their emails and calls and messages. He should not be in charge of anything.
Each planning application costs the taxpayer £7,580 to process. Worth noting the fixed cost is the same as wether it’s a windfarm decimating naturally beautiful locations, or a simple change of use from a barn to be a farm shop.
This represents abysmal ROI on taxpayers and their conversion rate in the 23/24 year was a mere 52% of applications being granted. Worth noting the FOI requested was not fulfilled. so the year has been calculated June 23 thru June 24.
This means 48% of applications are either pending, returned, closed or withdrawn.
So to recalculate the actual cost of each GRANTED planning application in the Highlands the cost is nearer £14,570. EACH!
In some cases the investment is minor, but is a lifestyle business adding another SME to the NC500 landscape, which is much needed and indeed lauded by visitors and locals alike!
Or it could be a windfarm that’s polluting, destroying habitat, killing birds and wildlife to make foreign investor shareholders profit.
This represents an appalling return on investment for the community starved of investment for decades.
If you are angry about the state of your high streets, lack of opportunities for SMEs to find reasonable premises and are forced to shop elsewhere or online then this is the reason why!
They fail to process 290 applications in a year.
Remember the applicant pays fees as well from a few hundred to a few thousand. So let’s say they also raise a conservative £55,000 if an average of £250 is paid. In one case the total was £758.
Craig Wilson, head of planning is a liar.
Offers to help people, blackmails them. Then ignores their emails and calls and messages. He should not be in charge of anything.
Each planning application costs the taxpayer £7,580 to process. Worth noting the fixed cost is the same as wether it’s a windfarm decimating naturally beautiful locations, or a simple change of use from a barn to be a farm shop.
This represents abysmal ROI on taxpayers and their conversion rate in the 23/24 year was a mere 52% of applications being granted. Worth noting the FOI requested was not fulfilled. so the year has been calculated June 23 thru June 24.
This means 48% of applications are either pending, returned, closed or withdrawn.
So to recalculate the actual cost of each GRANTED planning application in the Highlands the cost is nearer £14,570. EACH!
In some cases the investment is minor, but is a lifestyle business adding another SME to the NC500 landscape, which is much needed and indeed lauded by visitors and locals alike!
Or it could be a windfarm that’s polluting, destroying habitat, killing birds and wildlife to make foreign investor shareholders profit.
This represents an appalling return on investment for the community starved of investment for decades.
If you are angry about the state of your high streets, lack of opportunities for SMEs to find reasonable premises and are forced to shop elsewhere or online then this is the reason why!
