MEMBERS of the community have criticised a council error 'striking at the heart of local democracy'. 

Spokespersons from Carlisle and the Rockcliffe area have slammed the publishing of a planning report ahead of the consultation expiry date as listed on the website. 

The statements follow after community groups penned a joint letter to Cumbria County Council to raise concerns about what they feel is a conflict of interest regarding waste-related planning applications, in correspondence with the Hespin Wood treatment plant application to make incinerator fuel from waste. 

Members of the community have voiced their opinions in relation the Economy and Infrastructure Executive Director publishing the council's report to the Development Control and Regulation Committee for the Hespin RDF proposal before the public consultation had ended - a view which the council does not support, however. 

David Mudge, spokesperson for CRAIN (Carlisle Residents Against Incineration) said: "The council's attempts to grant its own company retrospective permission for an RDF plant while consulting on an application for a water tank grow more and more outrageous. 

"Now we find the council has published its report to the planning committee before the consultation expiry date shown on the council website.  The council says the October date was 'in error' and changed the date to 30 September with no warning.  The council says they haven't prejudged the consultation process, but how can that be when they have made their recommendation to grant permission without hearing all the comments?  

"This consultation process feels more and more like a complete charade," he said. 

READ MORE: Groups raise 'conflict of interest' concerns over council waste facility

Tom Adams, Chair of the local Green Party said: "This strikes at the heart of local democracy. The general public are repeatedly dismayed at the obstructiveness and opacity of planning proposals that affect them in far-reaching ways.

"As if it wasn’t enough that applications are presented with dense text and repeated withdrawals and submissions, and that objectors face difficulties in submitting their comments via the council website, we now have breath-taking incompetence regarding the revision of a deadline for objections. It is not good enough to cite ‘technical issues’ and expect the public to accept the consequences.”

The county council said they will listen to any representations until the date of the Committee. 

A county council spokesperson, said: “The council does not support the view that the consultation period has been changed nor that there has been any prejudice to interested parties in dealing with this application

"The consultation period ran from September 9 to the September 30. This was the date set out in the consultation letters provided by the Council and was also the date shown on its website. It remained on the website until the 5th October when the Council published its Committee Report after the consultation period had formally expired.

“Unfortunately, the consultation expiry date on the Council’s website was changed from September to October 11 in error on October 5 but this was corrected 2 days later on October 7.  

"Notwithstanding the correction of the error, the council will continue to consider representations received before the date of the Committee," they said. 

READ MORE: Council slammed for plans to give retrospective permission for incinerator fuel plant