The process is indeed sickening when it is your application that is being dealt with.
I also have some experience (from many years ago, motoring offences) of a kangaroo court called the Magistrates Court. But a MC doesn't even approach the blatent "1 finger up to the planning officer sitting right here in the room" which one gets in the planning committee. Indeed, a planning officer does sit in the room but is usually powerless to intervene because the councillors can sack him. The council solicitor is also present but he is usually a total wally.
I forgot to mention one important thing: nearly everybody thinks that one can only
object to planning applications. As a result, the process is almost entirely negative. Every tom dick and harry (and especially all the dicks) writes in with an objection. The planning officer tosses most of it in the bin (metaphorically speaking) because most of them don't raise matters relevant to planning; they are usually rubbish, or stuff based on envy.
A letter in support is a rarity in most applications, and if written in proper planning-speak, by someone living nearby, it makes a huge difference. In some cases, it makes all the objectors look like a load of twats.
So, if you want something to happen, get some people to write in supporting you. Of course, you will do the same for them when they want something
Which, rest assured, won't be long - a lot of people want to do extensions, etc.
That is the only easy way to beat the councillors. The other ways, one of which is higher up above, take longer and cost a lot more.
Similarly to writing in, one can speak
in support in the committee meeting. You get 2 minutes or so. Independent supporting speakers in the committee are extremely rare.
I feel fairly strongly about this subject in relation to GA because where I live (the south) there are very few airfields, and none can be created. Yet there is no objective reason why an airfield should not be built in open countryside, with road access but otherwise miles from anywhere, so no nimby problem. The inflexible development regs prevent it happening, because as soon as permission is granted for something, it can "one day" be turned into something else and, eventually, maybe decades later, you have a load of houses there.