Agenda Item 14
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 16 JANUARY 2013
DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE UPDATE
This report provides the opportunity for Members to discuss planning performance in the
light of the changed circumstances since the matter was last considered in November
2011.
The Committee last considered this matter in November 2011 when it was resolved to
recommend that the Portfolio Holder for Planning write to the Government urging a quick
decision on the proposal to permit Local Planning Authorities to set their own fee levels
and to write to Norman Lamb MP and Keith Simpson MP informing them of that
recommendation. The Committee also agreed to receive an update at a future meeting on
the issuing of Planning Decision Notices.
The resolution was followed up and Members will be aware that the Government
eventually decided that it did not wish to allow Local Planning Authorities to set their own
fees but instead introduced a 15% fee rise set at national level which came into force in
December 2012.
As far as the issuing of Planning Decision Notices is concerned, this matter is being
considered as part of the National Planning Benchmark, in which the Council has been
participating, and it is hoped that some further information may be available early in 2013.
Perhaps of more pressing concern are the issues raised in the attached quarterly report on
planning performance which is set out as an Annex to this report (Appendix C). The
conclusions of the report are self-explanatory. In terms of performance on smaller
applications it is hoped that the appointment of two temporary Planning Assistants will
provide sufficient additional capacity to enable the service to reduce the backlog of work
and bring performance back up to target levels over the next year.
The situation regarding major applications is being given top priority, as Members will be
aware, in terms of focussing attention on delivering decisions within the statutory 13 week
period wherever possible. A number of steps have been taken in this respect. These
include bringing the Major Development Team and key consultees together at an early
stage in the process; requiring developers to submit full details of Section 106 Obligation
requirements at an early stage in the process; ensuring that Development Committee in
relevant cases visits the site at an early stage in the process in order to reduce the risk of
delays; and ensuring that all processes are geared to issuing decisions promptly. However
it must be recognised that these necessary steps are likely to reduce opportunities for
securing improvements to schemes which may otherwise have been thought desirable by
Officers, Members or consultees, including members of the public, and may lead to some
schemes being refused which could otherwise have been negotiated through to a
successful outcome. It is hoped that Members and Officers will work in partnership to
assist in the determination of these cases and also to explain to members of the public and
applicants the reasons for this change in approach.
Members are asked to consider the issues raised in this report and any matters arising
from the Annex and accompanying statistical appendices.
Steve Oxenham, Head of Development Management