Business owner told planning application is 'whack' after council website error

The comments were mistakenly sent out for real after staff were testing solutions to a software problem Credit: Swale Borough Council

A Kent council called planning applications "whack" and told applicants to "just don't" after a testing error with a website.

Five applicants using the Swale Borough Council planning portal received the derogatory comments after staff were testing solutions to a software problem on August 19, resulting in dummy comments being mistakenly sent out for real.

The Happy Pants Animal Sanctuary in Sittingbourne put in an application to change agricultural land to be used for its animal rescue and was told "Your proposal is whack" and "No mate, proper whack".

  • Amey James, The Happy Pants Animal Sanctuary

Forad Miah had applied for a change in use of land from a butchers to a hot food takeaway in Chaucer Road, Sittingbourne, and was told: "Just don't" and "No" in reply.

Swale Borough Council has started an investigation and said that a junior officer at the Mid Kent shared planning service believed that the comments would not be published.

Despite this, the council's legal advice has said that the erroneous decisions are legally binding and that it will now have to quash them through judicial review.

The review is expected to take three months and £8,000 of public funds to complete.

Another planning applicant was told 'Don't even bother re-applying' Credit: Swale Borough Council

The council's leadership team, Councillor Roger Truelove and Councillor Mike Baldock, said: "These errors will have to be rectified but this will cause totally unnecessary concern to applicants.

"This is not the first serious problem following the transfer of our planning administration to Mid Kent shared services.

"We will wait for the outcome of a proper investigation and then consider our appropriate response as a council."

The council has said applicants affected have been notified.