Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 27 April 2016.

            RESOLVED:                         

That the minutes of the last meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 27 April 2016 be agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Director of Governance) To declare interests in any item on this agenda.

Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, requires that the permission of the Chairman be obtained, after prior notice to the Chief Executive, before urgent business not specified in the agenda (including a supplementary agenda of which the statutory period of notice has been given) may be transacted.

(Director of Governance)  To consider planning applications as set out in the attached schedule

Background Papers:  (i)  Applications for determination – applications listed on the schedule, letters of representation received regarding the applications which are summarised on the schedule.  (ii)  Enforcement of Planning Control – the reports of officers inspecting the properties listed on the schedule in respect of which consideration is to be given to the enforcement of planning control.

The Sub-Committee considered a schedule of applications for planning permission.

            RESOLVED:

            That the planning applications numbered 1 – 14 be determined as set out in the attached schedule to these minutes.

(Director of Governance)  To consider the attached report and appendices.

The Members considered the report advising the decision making committees of the results of all successful allowed appeals (particularly those refused by committee contrary to officer’s recommendations).

Since 2011/12, there had been two local indicators, one of which measured all planning application type appeals as a result of committee reversals of officer recommendations (GOV08) and the other which measured the performance of officer recommendations and delegated decisions (GOV07).  

Over the six-month period between 1 October 2015 and 31 March 2016, the Council received 57 decisions on appeals (49 of which were planning related appeals, the other 8 were enforcement related).

GOV07 and 08 measured the planning application decisions and out of a total of 49, 18 were allowed (36.7%). Broken down further, GOV07 performance was 8 out of 27 allowed (29.6%) and GOV08 performance was 10 out of 22 (45.5%).

Out of the planning appeals that arose from decisions of the committees to refuse contrary to the recommendation put to them by officers during the 6-month period, the Council was not successful in sustaining seven of this committee’s objection.

During this period, there were no award of costs against the Council in respect of a refusal of planning permission and the Council officers successfully defended against 5 claims for costs.

RESOLVED:

That the Planning Appeal Decisions be noted.

Exclusion: To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Background Papers:  Article 17 - Access to Information, Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.

The Sub-Committee noted that there were no items of business on the agenda that necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.