Objectors say their letters were 'lost' too

Council planning bosses who "lost" several objections to a controversial planning application for a 40-bedroom motel and cafe may have made the same mistake before, it has been claimed.

Officers at Shropshire Council were forced to delay consideration of plans for the motel at Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, after they said objections were discovered when it was too late to take them into account before the original date.

The mistake meant the scheme had to be removed from a planning agenda this week, and officers will now need to draw up new reports into the proposal.

Today, villagers in Whixall, near Whitchurch, claimed they too became victims of the same situation.

They said when they objected to controversial plans for a hunting kennels in the village last year, some of their correspondence appeared to have been misplaced by the former North Shropshire District Council.

Planning permission for the kennels was revoked earlier this year, and the matter has now been referred to the local government ombudsman.

Pat Hutchinson, one of the objectors, said earlier this year she was also told by Shropshire Council a review was under way to ensure the mistake was not repeated.

"In the process of the complaint I was informed that a review of all planning matters was being undertaken by the council to ensure that lessons would be learned, and that in the future planning applications would be dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner," she said.

"They lost an e-mail from us, and now it seems that is not the only example of maladministration, and it's very worrying."

Gareth Proffitt, council spokesman said: "Council officers are currently looking into why some representations submitted in relation to the Tern Hill motel application were initially missed.

"However, the Whixhall kennels application was determined by the former North Shropshire District Council and therefore pre-dates Shropshire Council."