Planning issues
(Note: The following items have been included on the agenda for the meeting at the request of both Alvechurch Parish Council, and the Bromsgrove Area Committee of the County Association of Local Councils [CALC]).
1. Enforcement - what progress is being made?
2. Consultation on planning applications / enforcement issues - a review of the operation of the new computerised administration system and it's 'user-friendliness'
Minutes:
(i) Enforcement
At the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. J. Turner, Principal Planning Officer within Development Control Services, introduced himself to the Forum. He explained that his main role is concerned with enforcement of planning control, having started employment with the Council within the last month or so and, so far, much of his time had been spent identifying the workload and developing a strategy for dealing with the outstanding complaints.
Mr. Turner stated that he would be unable to address individual issues at the meeting but confirmed that he would be willing to deal with the backlog of enforcement complaints in the most convenient way at the suggestion of the Forum. He explained that the planning process sometimes meant that there could be lengthy delays between receipt of a complaint and the service / taking effect of an enforcement notice, and that this was an inevitable part of planning control which made it difficult to specify rigid timescales.
Arising out of the discussion, members of the Forum detailed the problems which had been experienced in the past and expressed hope that enforcement issues would be dealt with more actively in future. In addition, it was felt that more communication between the parish councils and the district council would also be useful, especially in terms of brief updates on enforcement cases.
RESOLVED:
(a) that each parish council draw up a priority list of enforcement issues to assist officers within Development Control to try and reduce the backlog of complaints; and
(b) that training events for individual parishes or, preferably, several parish councils at a time, be organised in respect of enforcement procedures, together with details of what the Council can and cannot do.
(ii) Planning Consultations - Certificates of Lawfulness
At the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. P. Murphy, Planning Business Support Administration Supervisor, addressed the meeting. In response to a question concerning consultation process for Certificates of Lawfulness, it was stated that parish councils would only be consulted for comments in respect of Certificates of Lawfulness for an Existing Use. For a Proposed Use, parish councils would not normally be consulted because the issue would be a planning matter.
Mr. Murphy also outlined the web-based 'Public Access' system which allowed members of the public to view planning application details on-line. He stated that guidance notes on the use of the system could be made available upon request or, if further help was required, an appointment could be made for him to demonstrate the system and how it works.
Finally, in response to a question concerning the scale of plans displayed on screen, Mr. Murphy suggested that the Case Officer would be able to confirm plan scales, distances and other measurements.
RESOLVED that, in the event of parish councillors requiring further training on the 'Public Access' planning application system, officers be available to give training upon request, either individually, or to a group of parish representatives.