The Inelegance of Bureaucracy
An English architect takes the battle against bureaucracy back to the horse's mouth:
How does the bureaucracy respond? As you would probably have expected:
If nothing else, this should help to underscore the utter ridiculousness that makes up the whole "management via checkboxes" culture that we've bred in our society for these past few decades. There is absolutely no way to account for every possible outcome and action of a given task well enough that anyone with a pen and a form can do it, and the notion that adding one document to your process can make up for basic lack of communication is equally silly. Continue reading »
Mr Jessop said he launched his attack on planning red tape after the planning and amenities department of Mendip District Council in Somerset sent him a lengthy form with what he saw as a serious of “silly” questions.
The document was to enable them to assess the impact the shed would have on the surrounding area.
Under “scale, appearance and landscaping”, Mr Jessop wrote: “The building is a single storey with the central section raised to allow for higher equipment.
“It can not be lower because nothing could be stored in it. It is not made any higher because that would be silly.
“It looks like a typical modern agricultural shed in a green profiled metal sheeting because that is what it is, and a great architect once said 'Buildings should look like what they are’.
“The applicant and previous occupants have spent a long time, probably more than a thousand years, making the countryside around the house look like farmland so that everyone can enjoy the pretty English countryside.”
How does the bureaucracy respond? As you would probably have expected:
Mendip District Council Development Services confirmed they received the application on March 18 and said the matter had yet to be determined.
A spokesman said: “There was no problem registering the statement because, believe it or not, it covered all the relevant criteria.
“As long as the architect answers all the relevant headings then it doesn’t really matter what the tone of the application is.”
If nothing else, this should help to underscore the utter ridiculousness that makes up the whole "management via checkboxes" culture that we've bred in our society for these past few decades. There is absolutely no way to account for every possible outcome and action of a given task well enough that anyone with a pen and a form can do it, and the notion that adding one document to your process can make up for basic lack of communication is equally silly. Continue reading »
