Pearman & Roban On Planning Permission
“This is déjà vu all over again for the scandal-ridden PLP,” OBA MP Scott Pearman said, while Minister Roban said “it is apparent that the Shadow Minister and others care nothing about carrying out their due diligence to substantiate their allegations.”
Scott Pearman — the Shadow Home Affairs Minister — said, “This is déjà vu all over again for the scandal-ridden PLP. In November 2011, Minster Walter Roban was forced to resign from Paula Cox’s Cabinet. The Minister quit amidst allegations of corruption and subverting the planning process. This planning scandal engulfed the Minister, who decided to overrule a technical officer’s decision blocking PLP MP Zane Da Silva from building on environmentally protected land at Devonshire Marsh.
“Minister Roban intervened to allow his PLP colleague to build warehouses on the marshland. When accused of ‘acting corruptly’ and ‘unethical behaviour’, Minister Roban swiftly resigned, admitting that his actions had “…brought about questions of the Government’s integrity and accusations of corruption.”
“The PLP’s 2011 decision to allow PLP MP Zane Da Silva to build on Devonshire Marsh was swiftly reversed by new Minister, Marc Bean. The same Marc Bean who later quit the PLP, levelling his own accusations of unethical behaviour in his party’s ranks.
“Yet here we are again. Over 11 years later, Minister Roban is back in the very same hot seat,” Mr Pearman said addinf that Minister Roban has “again decided to grant PLP colleague Zane Da Silva permission to build” at Devonshire Marsh.
“When this happened a decade ago, Premier Paula Cox determined that Walter Roban must resign. Why does Premier David Burt take a different view of these very same actions now,” he added.
In response, Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban said, “It is incredible that the Shadow Minister is so eager to call for my resignation and question my integrity by comparing this to the 2011 matter. It is apparent that the Shadow Minister and others care nothing about carrying out their due diligence to substantiate their allegations and read the file, which is publicly available.”
“For example, the Development Applications Board approved the plan, and the Department of Planning, who saw the current application as an opportunity to improve and organize the site and enhance the buffer area between the existing industrial use and the adjoining nature reserve, also supported its approval.”
“Also, despite the legislated timeframe to submit an appeal, to ensure all persons or entities had the opportunity to have their say on the application, I approved the requests made for more time to submit an appeal by the objectors. While this decision disappointed the applicant, it was the right thing to do. Had the extension not been granted, an appeal would not have been accepted.”
“Furthermore, unlike in 2011, this application involved both industrial and residential uses and all recommendations made by the Department of Planning and DENR during the application assessment were incorporated into the final design and relevant planning conditions.”
“It is important to note that a 1991 Court case ruled in favour of Island Construction for using the site based on ‘Grandfather Rights’ due to the duration that Island Construction had owned and operated the site and the nature of the activities that were undertaken throughout this period. Inspection of the site clearly shows that this is an industrial site and cannot be construed as an ‘open space.”
The more things change…
Election needed now. Desilva is a their as is all PLP ministers. Wake up who voted them in.