THE Planning Committee meeting to determine the Brandon Estates planning application, scheduled for October 12, has once again been delayed.
The meeting was initially due to take place on September 14 before being understandably postponed in the wake of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
We were then given formal notification by Rugby Borough Council of the October 12 date.
However, it has since transpired that the public consultation period into the application has been extended, with notices posted recently at the stadium site.
This relates to a procedural error on the part of RBC in that the original notices did not refer to the application being a departure from the Local Development Plan.
It is somewhat surprising that this was the case, given that the application has clearly conflicted with the Local Plan from the outset, a point we have repeatedly made throughout all of our representations over the past six years.
And the Local Plan itself was only adopted after the Government Inspector in 2018 had declared the initial plan ‘unsound’ without modifications to safeguard existing sports and recreational buildings, making the specific requirement that additional protection should be given to Brandon Stadium.
We await further information regarding a confirmed new date for the Planning Committee meeting, and can confirm we will be submitting an extensive response to the Planning Officer’s report which incredibly recommended approval of the Brandon Estates application.
This document will appear on our website and be sent to local and national media at an appropriate time in advance of the meeting.
