My Local Planning Authority are terrible.

My local authority are a sham when it comes to planning.
They hand an application to a junior, everything is hunky dorey for 7 weeks and then they hit you with the "we cannot support your application".
This is because they've had their meeting with team leaders and then juniors opinions are overturned.
OK you may say fine to this but i've taken now 6 of my apps to a refusal and had them overturned by appeal. Great you may add, but my problem is that these decisions could have been made at planning and saved my clients the time and turmoil to go through the appeal process.
my question is -
Is there no deterrant for planning to get it right first time? Its like they are letting the inspectorate do their jobs for them.

If I had a pound for every time. A young lad met me on site to look at a proposed dormer extension and said yep, happy with the proposal, nothing controversial, no overlooking, good design. Can't see a problem. 3 weeks later refused. Another refused an application because there was no provision for recycling even though there was a bin store included and clearly marked on the drawings. He didn't think to mention it four days earlier when he told me no problem should be a straight approval. It happens time after time and wastes endless time and money and public resources having to re-apply or appeal.

An application earlier this year I asked the planning officer if there were any issues and he left me slightly gobsmacked when he said; 'I don't want to say too much at the moment'. And then wouldn't discuss it any further. What the hell that was all about I've no idea but of course the inevitable refusal came a week later. Only to be later resubmitted and passed with ludicrously minor changes.

I wouldn't mind but they keep telling you everything is fine. What I reckon is that these youngsters come in straight from uni with all sorts of positive ideas. They are then taken to one side and sat down by their supervisros and shown how to refuse an application.

What really ****es me off is they then send you their annual report that says how brilliant and efficient they are and how they surpassed every target.

The planners at my local councils are not bad.

OK they have some wacky ideas in terms of what is OK and what is "an incongruous feature in the street scene", but they can be spoken to and will highlight issues which may cause problems in getting the permission

I'm not sure when your council planners have there meetings, but ours tend to have regular consultation and an application will not be rejected at the last minute, but there will be advance notice whether the delegated officer is of a mind to reject the plan so that there is always an opportunity to withdraw or amend

Planning: Refused until proven granted