Developers' free for all: Stop Dominic Cummings Stripping Away Our Rights - Sign the petition

If you think developers are getting away with murder in Brent at the moment - you ain't seen nothing yet if these proposals go through.

This petition has been launched  recoognising the damage that will be done to our urban environment if planning controls are limited even more.

THE PETITION - SIGN HERE

TO: Boris Johnson 

Please don’t strip back the right of communities to a say on what gets built in their area. Letting property developers do whatever they want will lead to badly designed and poorly located housing. We need smarter solutions to the housing crisis

EXPLANATION

 

Wave goodbye to your right to a say in what’s built in your local area -- if Dominic Cummings gets his way. We’ve got just weeks to stop him.

He's working on a plan to rip up the rules for new buildings in England -- and replace it with a US style scheme. It could fill neighbourhoods with shoddy flats and ugly office buildings.

But Cummings’ plan won’t affect every community the same way. City streets, not the countryside, will be the focus -- so people of colour will be far worse affected.

Cummings is trying to sneak this plan through as part of a coronavirus recovery programme -- and Boris Johnson just announced the first of the changes.

The full outrageous plans will be published within weeks. If no one seems to care, these changes will become law before we know it.

Dominic Cummings’ reckless US-style plan would take power over your local area away from expert planners with extensive local knowledge -- and give it to giant new “development corporations”. 

Remember, this is the same government who brought in a planning loophole that has allowed developers to build new flats without windows. Too many people are already trapped in poor quality housing.

But more than a million homes given planning permission in the last 10 years haven’t been built. So ripping up England’s planning rules to give power to profit hungry developers won’t fix things.

We need to build a huge public backlash right now-- can you add your name today?

 

'It feels almost like prison': the developers building homes with no natural light
The Guardian. 19 December 2019.

England’s planning system set for shake-up
Financial Times (paywall). 10 June 2020.

Boris Johnson heralds biggest reform of planning laws since the war
The Times (paywall). 30 June 2020.

Let’s not diminish our places in the name of ‘economic stimulus’
Local Government Chronicle. 9 June 2020.

BREAKING NEWS: JUDICIAL REVIEW LODGED AGAINST DPP RE INACTION OVER DOMINIC CUMMINGS

From Martin Redston (See LINK )

My lawyers have today lodged proceedings in the High Court to seek an urgent judicial review of the Director of Public Prosecution’s inaction over the alleged breaches of the Coronavirus Regulations by Dominic Cummings. One particular concern is the so-called ‘Cummings effect’ or ‘Cummings defence’ which has meant that people who previously were complying with the Regulations have sought not to adhere to them fully. 

The grounds filed with the High Court include the following complaints:

There is a lack of an appearance of independence to the decision-making of the DPP which arises from (a) the scheme of subordination of the DPP to the Attorney-General – a politician who has tweeted support for the claimed legality of Cummings’ actions without allowing due process to take place, and 

(b) the failure to engage meaningfully with the question over Mr. Cummings’ actions and stance taken. In addition, my lawyers have previously sought disclosure of "all communications that (the DPP or his office) had received from any minister, departmental official, or mandarin or person associated with the Cabinet, Prime Minister, or affiliates or agents or representatives of the same, referring to the question of Mr Cummings in any way”.

The CPS/ DPP did not respond to this request in their reply to my representatives. The question as to the manoeuvres of the government and use of its powers behind the scenes is of obvious concern given the history of this high-profile case.

As a state authority the DPP has failed to comply with the duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure public safety to the greatest extent practicable – he would do so in this case by taking active steps to ensure the maintenance of public confidence in accountability to, and enforcement of, the law that is designed to protect the public from the ongoing threat of Covid-19. In short, he should not wash his hands of the issue but should refer it to the police and thereafter consider the issue himself.

A failure to safeguard citizens from the risk of Covid 19 risks a real breach of Article 2 or 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights, namely degrading or inhumane treatment or the loss of life. It is in any event unreasonable not to inquire into the actions of Mr. Cummings to determine whether or not to prosecute him for potential breaches of coronavirus regulations, or a common law criminal offence of public nuisance – given the potential to infect others by travelling across the country from London to Durham, and relocating to a new area when infected.

The DPP has failed to exercise his discretion to refer the matter to the police on our request. Consequently there has been a failure to engage with the need for public confidence to be restored: the law applies to everyone. Public compliance with the regulations is vitally important: they were put in place to protect the public from a virus pandemic. A failure to act soon means that evidence relevant to the investigation into Mr. Cummings’ actions may well be lost.

My action seeks the restoration of public confidence in the office of the DPP as an independent body uninfluenced by and not capable of influence by No.10 and politicians including the Attorney-General. The rule of law applies to all and due process should be followed before any decision is made as to the lawfulness or otherwise of any person’s actions, no matter how close to the centre of power that person sits.

Justice must not only be done but be seen to be done.  Please contribute and spread the word.

Many thanks

Martin Redston