Forwent a Priory ‘DOOM’ committee meeting in order to sit-in on an HDC Planning Committee meeting which dragged on and approved re-development of Huntingdon Bridge Boatyard despite local councillors objecting. News tonight of a serious engine room fire in the Sealink freight ferry, Seafreight Freeway, which killed one officer and critically injured another.
A day in the office, working away at my paperwork and using the photocopier to brief various local residents of my progress on local issues. This took all morning, as I also tried to catch up on the newspapers and cuttings as well. Lunchtime soon came and after, I put my effort into writing a ‘sewage and drainage’ brief for Priory Doom and also penned a letter tendering my apologies for their committee meeting tonight. After tea, I dropped off these notes and drove on to Huntingdon to attend an HDC Planning Committee meeting. Though not actually on this committee, I decided to attend for the information and experience and I found it interesting as well. Key decisions included the refusal of an application for supermarket etc in St Ives/Fenstanton flood plain and approval for an adventurous building on the site of the Huntingdon Bridge Boatyard, where the development will include 4-storey flats, a hotel, restaurant and yacht chandlery/marina. Quite a site this will be, but the local Godmanchester Councillors were not happy with the idea, but were out voted.
A well organised and effective committee, that has been dealing with record volumes of planning applications, appeals etc. Conflicts between Parish Council views and those of the Planning Officers are brought before the Planning Committee, as are any other significant or contentious decisions, such as stopping up orders for footpaths, tree preservation orders etc. Trouble is that the Committee meet at 7.00pm and were still going strong 2/3rds the way through the agenda at 10.40pm, and I reckon they could not have finished before 11.30, which is a long meeting. Home late and then to bed, leaving my journal until tomorrow. The news on the car radio was of a serious ferry fire. The Sealink freight ferry, Seafreight Freeway, was gutted by an engine room fire, in which one Officer was killed and another critically injured. The political opposition were asking questions about manning and safety in the wake of the recent ferry disputes.