Red tape jeopardises Dyson’s design school

Entrepreneur Sir James Dyson says he may scrap plans for a £50m engineering school of excellence because of meddling by government “bureaucrats”.

The facts:

Construction of the Dyson School of Design Innovation was blocked this week by local government minister Baroness Andrews, who ruled that permission should be decided by a public inquiry.

The build, funded in part by £12m from James Dyson’s own fortune, has attracted controversy because of fears it may damage the local environment of the site in the spa city of Bath.

But in a statement delivered through his charitable foundation, the JDF, Dyson claimed he had wasted £3.5m and four years dealing with “endless bureaucratic hurdles” trying to get the application approved.

Local councillors earlier approved the build despite advice from planners suggesting it could be prone to flooding. At more than 10,000 sq ft, the building would also require the demolition of a 19th Century building on the banks of the Avon.

Dyson insists the build would be safe. A date for the public inquiry has not been set, but could delay the project for many more months even if it is eventually approved.

They said:

"The inquiry is a scandalous waste of time and money. The secretary of state already has enough facts to reach a decision,” Dyson’s charitable foundation warned.

"The scheme is well supported with the notable exception of the Environment Agency, which despite our attempts, has refused face-to-face discussions. As a charity we've already spent £3.5 million and four years on the project, overcoming endless bureaucratic hurdles."

"The trustees will now consider whether to direct funds towards further legal costs or move on to new projects."

A spokesperson for Baroness Andrews said: "The secretary of state is of the opinion that the application is one that she ought to decide herself because she considers that the proposals may conflict with national policies on important matters."

We say:

This is a classic example of an entrepreneur’s ‘can-do’ approach clashing with the government’s frustratingly methodical processes. Being on the side of entrepreneurs we’re tempted to slate the inquiry but we don’t know the fine details of the case, so we’ll content ourselves with crossing our arms and tutting.

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By News Desk  on   Aug 08,2008

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Keywords

James Dyson    red tape    innovation    design    skills    planning   

Comments

Basil Avery
If that wasn't bad enough, engineering entrepreneur James Dyson believes there are not enough people leaving school and university with engineering qualifications which is leading to a national skills shortage for essay writing. Report Abuse