RESIDENTS in Christchurch have launched a petition calling for the borough to have its own planning committee.

The move comes amid frustration with current single committee system introduced when BCP Council was established three years ago.

Petition organisers say they want a planning committee made up of only Christchurch councillors who can make ‘informed decisions’ on local applications.

They say the growing perception is that decisions are being made by councillors from Bournemouth and Poole who 'are not conversant with the area or local planning policies.’

Only three of the 15 planning committee members are from Christchurch and can always be outvoted.

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Steve Alves, secretary of the Friars Cliff Residents’ Association, who is heading the bid to get at least 2,000 signatures to take to the BCP cabinet said: "Local residents across Christchurch are becoming ever more frustrated with the current planning committee's decisions.

"All too often, local residents' objections based purely on planning policies are ignored in favour of councillors speaking up for developments where they have never even visited the area."

He added: “Some committee members proved they are completely out of touch when dealing with a town other than their own.”

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The Association of Christchurch Residents Association which has reformed, is backing the move.

Recent applications that have raised the alarm include large houses being developed into blocks of flats in Chewton Farm Road, enlargement of beach huts at Avon Beach and proposals for Barrack Road.

The borough’s four parish councils funded a report which was presented to Overview and Scrutiny in January by the chairman of Highcliffe and Walkford Parish Council, Bob Hutchings.

He said residents did not have confidence that the current system resulted in the right decisions being made and that a multi-committee approach worked perfectly well in other unitary authorities.

The committee said it would consider the report again later in the year but the BCP administration has previously said reverting to three separate planning boards, one for each town would be bureaucratic, time-consuming and costly.