Permission Impossible - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Sometimes I think that our role is as a universal  human shield - for developers, objectors, Government agencies, Infrastructure providers. I think the programme shows this to a degree. I'd like to see more on the invisible role of Highways, EA, EN etc.

I also think that you need to have been the wrong end of, or at least witnessed an aggressive barrister acting for powerful and monied interests, to understand why the system produces the results it sometimes does.

Nobody comes out of this series well. I can't understand why anyone who saw the first two series would agree to take part and subject themselves to ridicule. The series is not  a serious attempt to show how the planning system works, but that wouldn't make "good" television would it.  

Another missed opportunity to explain to the public and media how planning can make the world a better place! No vision, no grand schemes, just the usual development control conflict which some may say makes average tv fodder. The level of professionalism is pathetic and it worries me that  'senior planners' are seen dealing with fences and other minor developments. I assume they do not have any policies or up to date local plans as they are never mentioned.

On the complaint that the show doesnt portray reality; I agree - the show portrays a planning system where officers actually leave their desks, talk over plans on site with the applicants and work through issues with frank conversations. Alas, my planning department is rather different to this; they don't entertain appointments or visitors, don't visit site and only communicate via email or phone call. I'm sure that they could dispense with 90% of their workload by having surgeries. That said, the show was a useful insight to some of the issues that planners face and did help me relate to them. The name's a bit of a joke, mind - if 90%+ of the applications featured gained approval it's hardly "impossible" - if an hour was sufficient enough time to portray the process of planning a link road that's been the subject of a 30 year debate or a major urban redevelopment where the council's had to pitch in to generate developer interest, it would make for far more fascinating TV in my opinion. I'm guessing this is not a popular opinion :)