Issue - meetings

The Leader invited the Chairman of the Planning Policy Task Group Councillor S. R. Colella to introduce the report of the Task Group on the review of Planning Policy.

Councillor Colella explained that the Task Group had been set up to investigate the effectiveness of planning conditions and the enforcement of breaches of these conditions. The role of the Task Group had been to use existing case studies to look at the effectiveness of planning conditions and the Council’s Enforcement Policy and to suggest where improvements could be made.

Councillor Colella thanked the Members of the Task Group for their work which he felt had resulted in a robust and detailed investigation. In addition thanks were expressed to officers for their assistance to the Task Group and for their open approach and willingness to recognise where services could be improved. The Task Group had recognised that some improvements were already in place. Thanks were also expressed to the members of the public who had participated in the process.

The Cabinet then considered the recommendations of the Task Group in detail and sought clarification of some issues from Councillor Colella.

As the Cabinet’s response to some of the Task Group’s recommendations would require further consideration from the Overview and Scrutiny Board, it was felt appropriate to defer a final Cabinet response to the Task Group report until the Board had had the opportunity to consider these issues further.

The Leader thanked Councillor Colella and the other Members of the Task Group for their work to date which had resulted in some very good recommendations. The Leader also thanked Ms. A. Scarce, Democratic Services Officer for her work in supporting the Task Group.

RESOLVED  that the response to each of the recommendations within the report of the Planning Policy Task Group be as set out below:

Recommendation 1   

That a mechanism be put in place to ensure that :

(a)       where conditions cannot be monitored within existing resources, an estimate of the resources required to monitor those conditions be clearly identified ;

(b)       the applicant be made aware at the earliest possible stage of the need to ensure that these conditions are adhered to and properly monitored in line with the conditions applied; and

(c)        where the planning officer recommends refusal of a planning application and the Planning Committee go against the recommendation, sufficient time should be given within the Planning Committee Meeting to discuss conditions.

Cabinet Response

(a)       there was concern that it may often be difficult to decide what additional resources would be appropriate and therefore to estimate that cost. In addition, whilst an estimate may be made the Council may not then have the resources to meet that cost. It was therefore felt that that this part of the recommendation should be referred back to the Overview and Scrutiny Board for further consideration;

(b)       this was agreed;

(c)        this was agreed;

Recommendation 2

(a)       that a review of the Bromsgrove Standard Planning Conditions be carried out as soon as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 133