Burnham Pier Pavilion owner quits planning post (From This is The West Country)

Burnham Pier Pavilion owner quits planning post

7:00am Thursday 13th September 2012 in News

THE owner of Burnham's Pier Pavilion - who is stepping down from a town council role to deal with a planning dispute - says she has received “overwhelming support” from the public.

As reported in the Weekly News, Louise Parkin has been in dispute with Sedgemoor District Council over whether she needs planning permission for a kiosk at the pier, housing The Candy Stall sweetshop.

The council issued an enforcement notice last month to get the building demolished but Cllr Parkin has now sought retrospective planning permission to keep it.

She says she has a petition signed by more than 1,000 people who want the kiosk to stay.

This week, she announced her resignation from her role on the town council's planning committee, saying her position was “untenable”. She remains a town councillor.

In her resignation letter, Cllr Parkin wrote: “Since I am involved in legal proceeding with Sedgemoor District Council I feel that my position on that committee is untenable.

“I would not wish to compromise the town council's standing and so feel I must take this step.

“It had been my intention to resign from the town council itself but I have had so many people over the last few days showing such overwhelming support and asking me to stay that I have decided to resign from the planning committee only.

“However if you feel that my actions have in anyway compromised the council either now or in the future I will fully resign at once.”

A district council spokesman said: “Sedgemoor District Council has a duty to apply the planning regulations equitably within the law.”