A Kent council has been told that joke responses it accidentally posted to planning applications are legally binding.
Swale Borough Council said the responses – including a rejection, because “your proposal is whack” – were made by a junior officer at Mid Kent Planning Support while testing the online system.
Two applications to demolish pubs were approved, on the basis that “I am the chosen one” and, more obliquely, “incy wincy spider”.
The council has taken legal advice and has been informed that the responses will remain legally binding until it can overturn the decisions through judicial review.
