A councillor has been accused of ‘playing the system’ as his company was granted planning permission to turn an office back into a home.
The building at Silverwood Garden Centre, which is owned by South Holland District Council Planning Committee member Coun Jack Tyrrell, had previously been ordered to be demolished as a condition of the granting of a 2016 application to build a new home nearby.
The council ruled it was supposed to be demolished within three months of the new build being occupied, but in 2020 he successfully applied for change of use to make it office or storage space for Silverwood and the Norfolk Scaffolding company he co-owns.
Last week though the Planning Committee voted through another change of use application to return it to being a house.
Coun Tyrrell did not take part in the discussion nor vote on the matter after declaring an interest.
Long Sutton Parish Council objected stating the reason for the initial demolition ruling was so there was no net increase in the number of homes on the site
A number of Planning Committee members raised concerns with Coun Bryan Alcock calling the application “extraordinary” stating: “I don’t feel able to make a decision as I feel so uneasy about it.”
Coun Andrew Tennant told the meeting he “felt like a minister in Boris Johnon’s cabinet defending the indefensible”.
“This house shouldn’t have been there as it was originally part of a replacement dwelling application.
“Miraculously, before the replacement dwelling was even finished, a massive mansion just up the road, it was decided rather than demolish this dwelling as set out in the conditions it was office accommodation in the business.
“I made a comment at the time I wasn’t impressed and I think I made a comment then about how quickly will it be turned back into a house.
“To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken this quick.
“As a councillor we should be seen to be doing the right thing.
“If it wasn’t a councillor would we let this happen?
“To be honest I don’t think we would as this is such a blatant play of the system?
“This whole chain of events is laughable.”
Four councillors abstained from voting while two voted against granting permission.
Six councillors voted in favour of granting permission.
Planning chair Coun James Avery said: “I have a problem with it, but not enough to refuse it.
“It doesn’t matter if it was used as an office for five minutes or five years. It was used as an office and had that permission.”
Coun Rodney Grocock said: “Every application is decided on its merit. I don’t see a problem.”
Speaking after the meeting, Coun Jack Tyrrell said: “I had every intention to keep the house I lived in for 22 years as an office, although I was planning to turn upstairs into a flat in a later date because it wasn’t being used (only for storage).
“I own two businesses and have a 50 per cent share in Norfolk Scaffold.
“The lady who works for us in Norfolk Scaffold never moved in, She worked from home due to covid and still does.
“Myself, two other ladies worked in there. I worked in the office from the minute I got planning, but more and more due to covid we where all working from home, in the end one went back into teaching, Lauryn and I was sharing the study in my house.
“The place was empty, I put it into planning and if the officer had recommended it for refusal I would have never put it in to the planning committee, I have a lot of respect for my fellow councillors.
“Trouble is, as a councillor, if I want to build anything it has to go to full planning committee. This application with officers recommending approval would have been dealt with at chairman panel or officer’s delegated powers otherwise.
“I wouldn’t want to see a place falling to bits because it wasn’t being used and I don’t believe my neighbours would either.”
