I wish this would all just go away

Another local area planning committee tonight. I suspect that the planning department just want Evil Property Developer to stop bothering them - as do I - and don't see any other way than to finally let him build something. So they've recommended that the latest plans pass, which doesn't much help our case for objecting.

At the last committee meeting our nice supportive councillor wanted it thrown out, but due to late running and a contretemps in a case earlier on the agenda ("let's take this outside! yeah! come on then...!") resulting in a 20 minute suspension, by the time it came to us it was nearly 10pm and they went for a site visit instead, thus prolonging the agony.

The site visit happened last Saturday, during which the planning officer was, frankly, a bit of an arse. It upset me for the rest of the day. The only upside is that I usually have to emotionally prop up Lin at number 71, and seeing the state I was in she decided to take the upbeat approach herself for once, in an attempt to prop me up.

In case anyone's interested, my text for my two-minute presentation is here. Don't tell me about any spelling mistakes, grammatical mistakes, better approaches or that it runs a bit over the allotted time (I know). Because it's taken me about an hour and a half to print off 14 copies on a misbehaving printer and I ain't doing it again. That's one copy each for 12 councillors - because visual channel reinforces aural, and also because there's a photo - one for the meeting clerk, and one for me.

I'm acutely aware of my privilege in being intelligent, articulate, and middle-class. If I weren't, we'd have had three two bedroom houses out the back well over a year ago. There are other things I could do to fight him, but I am so heart-weary of it all. It invades my space, my boundaries.

What happened at the planning committee

Three for, three against. So the chair, an estimable young woman called Sukey Sohal, cast the vote in our favour. She was embarrassed, and to be honest, the reason wasn't strong. Incidentally, I might as well have been reciting Jabberwocky instead of my speech, because they utterly ignored it - didn't ask any questions, didn't take it into account, didn't mention any of the issues in the subsequent short debate. We had spotted them having an aerated debate in a closed classroom before the meeting started, and I strongly suspect the issues had been laid out and decided there.

We'll lose this one (three-bed house) if it goes to the Planning Inspectorate. We might also lose the scheduled Planning Inspectorate appeal for a four bed house. We'll definitely lose any future planning applications if they're scaled down by even a smidgen. Not for any reason remotely to do with justice or community interests, but because:

• the planning department want the problem to go away
• the councillors are fed up of it and want it to go away
• one of the councillors is patently in the Evil Property Developer's pocket (albeit unprovably)
• our nice councillor doesn't get listened to. Not specifically because he is disabled, but rather because his disability means he can't speak loudly and clearly.

The only outcome that meets these desires is for EPD to be allowed to build something.

Therefore a rearguard action is called for. The three key issues are the loss of the trees, the reduction in security, and the ground levels. (The land is lower than the surrounding houses.) I intend to write to all the councillors who are on that committee, cc'ing the Planning Department, the Bristol Planning Inspectorate and EPD's architect, stating the following:

• We are not unreasonable but EPD has never attempted to negotiate with us, ever
• We would not object if the current application had the three following additional stipulations:
1. The sycamores to be left in place
2. Self-closing security gates to be installed at the entrance, with a separate side gate for pedestrian access to the right of way enjoyed by the houses on Green Lane
3. Ground levels to be restored to what they were in January 2005, and the height of the ground not to be raised higher than what it is at the adjoining garden boundaries

The hope is that EPD would see an easy quick win, and go for that, rather than wait for the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the council committee's refusal.

No, it's not fair, but I believe in fighting only winnable battles. I've led the fight on this one, and now it's time to sound the retreat and save what we can.