Interesting discussion. Another area which worries me somewhat is that it is extraordinarily difficult to get clear information from the CAA as to what they want from us.
No doubt the information exists, in most cases, but trying to find anything definitive on their website is a major challenge as is, if you have time and money to spare, talking to them by phone. Once you find the right person or the right page, often things are much better, though caveats and CYA get-outs are still likely to be well scattered.
That can't be good for safety, surely, though I accept that in our increasingly litigious society, everyone needs to watch their backs.
It is clear that, as LookingForAJob says, some people run their area like a 'private fiefdom'. That is OK - sometimes that makes best engineering sense, PROVIDED you explain why, and are consistent about the rules.
That's not always the case; there are some areas where clearly the CAA themselves are confused and uncertain. It would be nice if they were more willing to take advice form those more expert in some areas; that may be beginning to happen in some cases. Fingers crossed.