From: Michael Dawson <daw50nmdj@hotmail.co.uk>
Sent: 27 March 2015 07:57
To: Emma Lewell-Buck MP
Cc: Melanie Todd, Michelle Martin, Peter Quinn , Paul Hepburn, David Routledge
Sent: 27 March 2015 07:57
To: Emma Lewell-Buck MP
Cc: Melanie Todd, Michelle Martin, Peter Quinn , Paul Hepburn, David Routledge
Dear Emma,Eighteen months ago my former neighbour, Miss Melanie Todd wrote to you in September about our concerns regarding a development described as ‘Approved boat repair shelter at Tyne Slipway, River Drive, South Shields’ and asking to meet with you. I understand at the meeting, the Residents expressed concerns that, firstly it was being built on River Drive and secondly that the framework had not been built to plan.
We now have an admission from South Tyneside Council that the repair shelter was built without planning permission. This admission had to be prised out of the Council: the Principal Planning Officer, Mr Cunningham was still telling a Residents’ Association at a meeting on November 25th 2013, organised by one of the Ward Councillors that it was built to an approved plan. I would like to point out here that that he had not changed his point of view in correspondence with me in January 2014.
In spite of the admission by the Planning Manager in February 2014 that the repair shelter was not built to approved plans, the Head of Development Services, Mr Mansbridge, would not admit to the fact that it was built 3m higher than approved. In a letter to residents in May he said “The approved dimensions of the steelwork are: Proposed height 15.5m at the River Drive end, Proposed length..” etc. He has not produced any plans that support his view. There are none in the public domain.
This completely changes the complexion of the development on the slipway, River Drive (now UK Docks, formally Tyne Slipway) and I would like you to look into why it has been allowed to be built without planning permission and that the Planning Department are considering an application to build an even larger shed along side the existing one.
I understand that you will be busy with the impending election but may I ask you again to meet with the residents affected by continual disturbance of the ship repair facility allowed to built on River Drive, see their point of view, and give them support in stopping the further expansion of this inappropriately located shipyard.
We now have an admission from South Tyneside Council that the repair shelter was built without planning permission. This admission had to be prised out of the Council: the Principal Planning Officer, Mr Cunningham was still telling a Residents’ Association at a meeting on November 25th 2013, organised by one of the Ward Councillors that it was built to an approved plan. I would like to point out here that that he had not changed his point of view in correspondence with me in January 2014.
In spite of the admission by the Planning Manager in February 2014 that the repair shelter was not built to approved plans, the Head of Development Services, Mr Mansbridge, would not admit to the fact that it was built 3m higher than approved. In a letter to residents in May he said “The approved dimensions of the steelwork are: Proposed height 15.5m at the River Drive end, Proposed length..” etc. He has not produced any plans that support his view. There are none in the public domain.
This completely changes the complexion of the development on the slipway, River Drive (now UK Docks, formally Tyne Slipway) and I would like you to look into why it has been allowed to be built without planning permission and that the Planning Department are considering an application to build an even larger shed along side the existing one.
I understand that you will be busy with the impending election but may I ask you again to meet with the residents affected by continual disturbance of the ship repair facility allowed to built on River Drive, see their point of view, and give them support in stopping the further expansion of this inappropriately located shipyard.
Kind regards
Michael Dawson
5 Second Avenue
Amble
NE65 0EU
Post Views: 830