Controversial

New addition to the Portobello skyline. No-one seemed to know anything about it until they started erecting it this week. Apparently as it is just a temporary licensed thing it doesn't need the usual notifications and opportunities for objections. In theory the council officials should intercept 'controversial' applications so they don't just go through on the nod but for whatever reason this was missed, despite the significant potential for disturbance and nuisance for the neighbours, not to mention the COVID implications. It seems pretty clear that it cannot operate at least until August 24th as the rules have been made explicit to cover fairground attractions not in fairgrounds and the license expires on August 30th so it won't operate for long. However that doesn't mean it will come down then as the license just covers when it can operate. All in all another example of the lack of transparency in local government - we should be able to easily find the full details of applications like this online, including exactly who is involved in running it and how much the council and the operator stand to gain so that the neighbours can make a judgement whether the nuisance is  worth the benefit. Ideally those most impacted would benefit most - maybe a deal whereby the operators carry out litter cleanups in the area as a condition of their license? I don't know if such licenses are a form of tax on the operation of the entertainment or simply an administrative fee. It feels like it should be the former, with higher fees if the land is public and there is significant loss of amenity and lower fees if it is on private land and there is clear public benefit.