Council defers planning application after advertising notice in wrong paper

Members were set to vote on plans to redevelop the grounds of Oundle Rugby Football Club in the village of Oundle at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday (21 January).

Ahead of voting on the application, the council published a notice of the development in the Kettering Evening Telegraph.

However, a legal officer told councillors during the meeting that they had realised the paper does not circulate in Oundle.

"In accordance with legislation, publication of the notice publicising the application should be in a newspaper circulating in the locality to which the application relates," the officer told members.

The legal officer recommended that the application be deferred.

After an adjournment, the council's Head of Development Management told members that he believed the application should have been advertised in the Peterborough Telegraph instead.

He blamed the mistake on an “administrative error”.

He added: "We are unable to confirm to you this evening that this has happened. On the basis that we're unable to confirm this evening that that has happened we have made the recommendation to defer".

Councillors went on to defer the application, as well as a second planning application affected by the advertisement error.

Adam Carey