Wirral Council has apologised for an incorrect planning decision which has prompted calls for investigation from the leader of the local authority.
Cllr Janette Williamson branded a decision to approve advertisements for a controversial car park at the Cherry Tree shopping centre in Liscard as 'a disgrace.'
Parking firm Smart Parking took over management of the car park last year and has placed notices around the site. However the notices did not have planning permission until this was granted retrospectively in September.
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Wirral Council has now admitted this permission was wrongly given. The application was approved by an officer but should have gone to the planning committee for a decision by vote.
Explaining the error, a council spokesperson said: “In June the Planning Committee considered two applications regarding CCTV for a number plate recognition system and adverts for car park charges at the Cherry Tree Car Park.
“The Planning Committee resolved to defer the applications for further information to be submitted. However, it has since come to light that the decision notice to approve the Advertisement Consent, was issued in error on 23rd September.”
The spokesperson added: “We are sorry for this mistake and have since put in additional safeguards against this being able to happen again.”
Cllr Williamson has now called for an investigation into how the error came about.
Smart Parking has been criticised by people, who have accused the company of making them “absolutely terrified to shop in town" because of CCTV cameras and the notices placed around the car park.
The company is now seeking permission to keep three cameras and four pay and display machines in the car park at a meeting next week.
Speaking in April 2022, a spokesperson for Smart Parking said: "Smart Parking was brought in to manage the Cherry Tree Car Park in Liscard Town Centre for one simple reason, to stop the endemic parking abuse that had been taking place. This simply wasn’t a fair situation as it meant that some people were correctly paying for parking while others were not.”
Council leader Janette Williamson, who represents Liscard, said: “This is a disgrace and I have called for an urgent investigation to find out how this happened and to review council processes so that it cannot happen again.”
“We are working to make Liscard town centre better and more attractive for residents, shoppers and local businesses as part of a wider scheme of improvements, and we have explained time and time again that we need a fair and clear system for people looking to park and shop here.”
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