RESIDENTS are currently unable to comment on Bournemouth planning applications on the BCP Council website due to a broken link. 

Searching for planning applications in the Bournemouth area, residents found they are unable to click ‘comment on this application’.

This means residents cannot currently leave objections on planning applications with impending deadlines. 

Lucy Beale, who is campaigning against an application to build flats on Southbourne Crossroads car park, said: “The objection page is still not working and we are waiting for the council to fix it while the clock ticks away.

"We only had 21 days to object, it's now 15 as they have not fixed it. When it is finally fixed they need to reset the 21 days for us to have a chance to object. We have contacted them but it is still not working."

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “The BCP Council planning team are aware of the problem with the planning Portal and are currently looking into the issue.”

The council currently uses three different planning portals for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The issue is only affecting the Bournemouth site.

The planning service is one of the many areas of the local authority which is in the midst of transformation.

As reported, the department was said to be improving in May as officers tried to reduce the backlog of outstanding planning applications.

Work on the "planning improvement journey", as it is known, started in April last year with an improvement board, which meets monthly, created.