Overview & Scrutiny Committee
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
REVIEW
Portfolio holder:
Wards affected:
Mr B Iles
All
1
SUMMARY
1.1
At a meeting of this committee on 28 June 2004, Members agreed that as
part of the committees work programme for the year, Heads of Service, along
with their associated portfolio holder, be invited to attend an appropriate
meeting of this committee. The primary objective of this request was to
commence a project which looked at the effectiveness and efficiency of the
organisation. The Revenues Service was considered on 3 August 2004.
2
BACKGROUND
2.1
Planning and Conservation was formed in April 2004 as a consequence of a
review of Cultural Services and now includes
Planning control
Personnel
Two area managers one of which one is job share (2.2fte)
4.6fte senior planning officers
4 planning officers – three studying for an MA in town planning one day a
week during term time
One admin manager
Four administration assistants
One typist
Function
The implementation and defence of the council’s land use and spatial policies
through the determination of planning applications and subsequent appeals.
Giving informal planning advice to professionals and the public. Preparation
of reports and attendance at Planning Committee.
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Planning enforcement.
Personnel
One Senior Inquiry Officer who also manages the team
1.8fte Inquiry officers
Function
Investigations of complaints relating to planning matters and the instigation of
enforcement action as appropriate. Preparation of reports to Planning
Committee. Defence of Council’s case at appeal and in Court.
Conservation
Personnel
One manager
Two conservation officers – design and trees
Assistant conservation officer - trees 0.6 fte
Buildings at risk officer - 0.6 fte
Administration assistants -1.6 fte
Function
The provision of specialist design and historic building advice to the planning
department, professionals and the public. The determination of applications to
fell or carry out works to Tree Preservation Orders and notifications for works
to trees in conservation areas. Defend subsequent appeals on the Council’s
behalf.
Preparation and administration of the Council’s Enhancement, Design and
Green Awards.
Allocation of grants to owners of historic buildings
Administration of the Aylsham HERS scheme
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Management of trees on council owned land
Parish Tree Warden scheme
Management of the adoption of open spaces secured through the planning
system and other processes
Land charges
Personnel
One supervisor
Two land charges officers 1.2 fte
Function
Maintenance of the local land charges register and the administration and
production of the local authority search.
Street naming and numbering
Personnel
0.6 fte administrator
Function
Administration of the numbering and naming of streets and houses in the
district.
3
ACHIEVEMENTS 2003/04
Planning Control
The Council was awarded £624,000 through the Planning Delivery Grant for
its performance (speed of determining planning applications) from October
2002 to September 2003. All statutory BVPI targets were exceeded against a
backdrop of increased applications.
Increase in application numbers
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
2000-01 – 1500 applications
2003-04 – 2000 applications
This represents a 30% increase in workload in four years with a
commensurate increase in telephone calls, letters and requests for informal
advice.
Notwithstanding the increase in speed of determination, customer satisfaction
levels remain high at 80% and the number of formal complaints has
decreased year on year.
Planning Enforcement
The numbers of complaints against unauthorised development has remained
consistent but the section now operates a more proactive monitoring of
development and conditions imposed on development. There are no easy
means of measuring performance in this section as the modus operandis is to
resolve planning enforcement issues by persuasion, rather than resort to
formal action. Having regard to the number of complaints and the nature of
the job, the Council receives very few complaints. When formal action is
taken, there has only been one case in the last two years where the Courts
have not supported the Council. All appeals against Enforcement Notices
have been dismissed.
Conservation
The work of the department is varied. The Tree Warden Scheme has been
recognised nationally and the Enhancement Award celebrated 25 years in
2003. Salhouse was designated a Conservation Area and significant number
of new Tree Preservation Orders were made in 2003. The HERS scheme
continues to attract funding into Aylsham.
Land charges
Performance continues to be high and exceeds the Government’s target of
completing a search within 10 days of receipt.
Broadland was the only authority in Norfolk to reduce the price for a search
for homebuyers in 2004. The £99 now charged is the cheapest in Norfolk and
is cheaper than the search provided by the private search companies.
Street naming and numbering
New function to section.
7 September 2004
Overview & Scrutiny Committee
4
PRIORITIES FOR 2004/05
Planning control
Planning delivery grant
The Planning Minister has confirmed that a substantial part of the PDG for
2005/06 will be based on meeting BV109: the speed in which planning
applications are determined. This remains a priority for the department. It has
been confirmed that the PDG will be extended for another three years after
2005/06 and will involve similar sums of money as the previous three-year
tranch - £430m.
Two new BVPI’s (204 and 205) will also score for the purposes of PDG in
2004/05.
Appeals. The increase in the speed of determination by some authorities has
led to an increase in appeals for the Planning Inspectorate. The Government
is concerned that a speedier process by the planing authority does not lead to
a subsequent increase in work for other agencies.
Broadland’s approval rate for applications remains constant at circa 89%
applications being approved. Broadland’s appeal success remains constant at
around 75% of appeals being dismissed (and is improving in 2004/05).
Processes and decisions need to be constantly monitored to ensure that both
the approval rate for applications and the success at appeal remain constant.
Score against a checklist of best practice
This comprises a number of elements

Availability of pre-application advice

Availability of specialist advice on design, landscape and historic
buildings

Project management for major applications

E-enabled planning services.
The last element will score for PDG in 2004/05. Consultants have already
prepared a report on the technical architecture necessary to improve our
score against the Government’s criteria and this will be in place by the end of
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
September.
Specialist design, landscape and historic buildings advice is now embedded
within the department with the assimilation of the conservation section.
Pre-application advice is currently available but not to the extent envisaged by
Government, particularly the e-enablement of this advice. This will need to be
reviewed for 2005/06.
The department currently has a development team approach to major
applications; this will need to be refined so that it better matches the
Government’s aspirations. Work is currently under way to ensure this in place
for 2005/06.
E-Government
The department is currently in the final stages of implementing its new IT
system for planning, enforcement, conservation and land charges.
This is important in respect of meeting BV 205 referred to above but also BV
157.
In planning control it will:

Speed up and simplify the process of validating planning applications
and appeals.

Speed up the consultation process with applicants, neighbours,
statutory parties and Members. Currently, Members are notified in
writing of all applications in their ward; this could easily be replaced by
email.

Agents and statutory consultees will have applications and comments
acknowledged by email. Decisions can be sent electronically the
moment they are approved.

Provide significantly more information about applications on-line.

Improve monitoring of applications and development.
Planning Enforcement
In December 2001, the Government announced its intention to fundamentally
review the enforcement process in England and Wales, there has been no
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
significant announcement since then.
New legislation comes into effect in October that will initially at least have a
significant impact on the section. The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill introduces
new powers to tackle nuisance high hedges and it is anticipated that this will
generate a significant amount of work in the short term, as long standing
disputes will be brought to our attention quickly.
Conservation
Best Value performance indicators
The Government believes good design is paramount in creating high quality,
sustainable environments. With BV 205, it has introduced a requirement to
have specialist skills in design, landscape and historic buildings permanently
available to every planning department.
Draft BVPI’s for 2005/06 indicate that PDG will, in part, be awarded to
authorities that can show an ongoing commitment to reviewing their
Conservation Areas. A report will be put to cabinet in October detailing a
proposed programme of Conservation Area reviews.
The Green Award has been relaunched this year having regard to the CABE
advice on public realm spaces. The management of open spaces from
design, through to the formal adoption process has to be reviewed to ensure
that

good quality public places are an integral part of new development

the commuted sum collected is adequate to meet the ongoing
maintenance costs and

the legal process of adoption is speeded up.
Land charges
The impact of the new IT system may have a significant impact on the way
local authority searches are delivered. The new system will be implemented in
land charges in the new year and a comprehensive review will be carried out
at this juncture.
The competition from personal search companies is a serious threat to the
income received through the land charges section.
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
The department reviewed its charges and introduced a lower fee for domestic
searches for 2003/04. In addition, following consultation with customers,
charges for searches on commercial premises were increased but the
turnaround time reduced from 10 to five days.
The impact of these changes will need to be carefully reviewed in 2004/05.
Street naming and numbering
The function is new to the section.
5
EFFICIENCIES
Planning control and enforcement
The section is now delivering top 10% performance. Performance has
increased, despite a 30% increase in workloads since 2000. Customer
satisfaction levels remain high at 80%.
A new web-enabled GIS based IT system will be operational in November
2004.
This will:

Speed up and simplify administration process

Provide better information more quickly to the decision-maker

Speed up communication and consultation with stakeholders.

Provide better information on development types.

Speed up the decision making process.
The Government is looking to resource planning departments and in that
context, efficiency and effectiveness are distorted by the need to ensure that
the authority maximises its ability to access PDG monies. Securing PDG
monies therefore becomes the principal but not exclusive benchmark of how
effective the department will be over the next four years.
Conservation
This section has recently been the subject of a reorganisation and merger
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Overview & Scrutiny Committee
with planning section and significant savings will be made as a consequence
of that change.
The section has a growing role in meeting Best Value targets that relate to
PDG monies
The planning IT system will be rolled out to conservation in the new year with
the benefits accruing identified above for planning.
Land charges
The new IT system will have a significant impact on the way in which local
authority searches are delivered in 2005. Greater information will be available
electronically and this will speed up and simplify the process.
The local authority search currently generates significant income to the
Council. Councils are allowed to charge for searches but in so doing, should
look to recover the reasonable costs of providing the service. With a possible
reduction in the costs of producing the search, the efficiency savings can be
looked at in two ways.
(1)
Greater surplus income which goes back to the public purse. Whilst
this may be desirable, it may not be legal as the ability to charge for a
search is governed by the cost of providing the service. This has not
been challenged in any authority to date but that does not mean that
the risk does not exist.
(2)
Pass the saving back to the customer in the form of a lower cost local
authority search.
6
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1
Other than identified in the land charges section, there are no legal
implications arising from the report
7
RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
7.1
There may be resource implications from some savings to be made and the
impact of PDG monies but these can not be quantified at this stage.
1)
To consider the report
2)
To consider what actions or information may be required.
7 September 2004
Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Michael Derbyshire
Head of Planning and Conservation
Background Papers
None
For further information on this report call Michael Derbyshire on (01603) 430549 or
e-mail michael.derbyshire@broadland.gov.uk
7 September 2004