Agenda item

(Service Manager – Planning Services) To consider the attached report on recommended changes to the Constitution for the Council’s Planning function, following the review by the Planning Advisory Service.

Planning Service Manager, G Courtney outlined some of the details of the PAS report to the Working Group and went over what would be discussed at this meeting. The conclusion of the recently held PAS review workshop, which a majority of members had attended, concurred that this was the way forward.

It was highlighted that surrounding Councils’ planning committees were structured in a similar way to how PAS were suggesting and that we were unique in the way ours were laid out. Members were reminded that the goal of the PAS review was to improve efficiency, make faster decisions and reduce costs. The Group noted that there might be some significant changes coming to planning legislation and policy within the tenure of the current government. 

G Courtney provided some clarity on questions raised by members. Not all major applications would go to committee, they first needed to be qualified by officers. There would need to be 5 or more representations (not just objections) before an application would be determined by a planning committee. All applications before the committee would have a site visit arranged for Members unless the Chairman of the committee did not feel it necessary. It was noted however that these queries were procedural and did not need to be written in the constitution.

A point of concern for Members was the fact local Ward Councillors would have a lesser role in the decision making if they were only able to speak once the reports had been published in the agenda highlighting the importance of local knowledge. Members concurred that Local Ward Councillors should have early involvement in the process with officers and should be able to suggest conditions at committee.

Members discussed how Members should sit on each committee following the restructure, and whether the Council should adhere to PAS’ recommendation of 9 with a quorum of 7. Councillors Kauffman and Pond raised concerns with only having 9 members on each committee highlighting the current government rapidly re-writing the NPPF as well as making some allowance for sickness, holiday and members being taken out due to the application being in their ward. Councillors Pond and Kauffman requested that their disapproval with the proposed recommendations were noted.

The Working Group agreed that there should be a 9-month review period (next municipal year) in which changes could be made depending on how the new restructured committees were performing subject to their being no urgent changes to the NPPF that would affect the Council’s committees.

It was noted that the PAS workshop agreed that mandatory planning training be provided to all members on a planning committee as well as officer training to ensure high standards. A selection of members for each committee would be laid out within the procedural document resulting in there being no need for it to be written into constitution. The recommendations were agreed as below.

Resolved:

The committee agreed that the following recommendations should be made to Council.

(1)

·       That the number of committees be reduced to two committees (titled Planning Committee A and Planning Committee B).

·       That the committees are determined on the basis of agenda management, the definition of which is that the agenda will be compiled on the basis of ‘complexity, timing and number of applications’.

·       That the number of Members on each committee is nine, as laid out within the suggested amendments to Article 10 of the Constitution.

·       That the whole structure of the reorganisation of planning committees be reviewed after a period of nine months after the changes are implemented.

·       That all Members of the Planning Committee undertake mandatory planning committee training.

·       That Local Ward Members have the right to speak at Committee, including having an opportunity to respond to points of information and points of clarification, at the discretion of the Chairman of the Planning Committee. However, Local Ward Members are unable to debate or vote on any planning application situated within their ward.

(2)  That Constitution Working Group agree to the recommended amendments to the Constitution, including the changes to the scheme of delegation for planning.

(3) That Constitution Working Group agree to the removal of the minority reference process.