Issue - meetings

Recommendation HP 23/36 of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee of 14 December 2023

Consideration was given to recommendation HP 23/26 of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee of 14 December 2023 in respect of the review of the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol (PPA) and fee charging schedule for 2024/25.

Due regard was given to the views of the Scrutiny Select Committee, the financial and value for money considerations and legal implications.  Cabinet welcomed the introduction of an ‘inception meeting’ to support the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol and recognised that, whilst fees were set on a cost recovery only basis, the current fee schedule did not recover the full costs of the service.    Therefore, Cabinet supported the revised charging schedule for 2024/25 (attached at Annex 3).

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the amendment and publication of the Planning Performance Protocol (attached at Annex 1) be approved;

(2)             the inception meeting (attached at Annex 2) be adopted; and

(3)             the updated Planning Performance Agreement charging schedule for 2024/25 (attached at Annex 3) be adopted.

(Decision Notice: D240008CAB)

Consideration was given to recommendation HP 23/26 of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee of 14 December 2023 in respect of the review of the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol (PPA) and fee charging schedule for 2024/25.

Due regard was given to the views of the Scrutiny Select Committee, the financial and value for money considerations and legal implications.  Cabinet welcomed the introduction of an ‘inception meeting’ to support the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol and recognised that, whilst fees were set on a cost recovery only basis, the current fee schedule did not recover the full costs of the service.    Therefore, Cabinet supported the revised charging schedule for 2024/25 (attached at Annex 3).

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the amendment and publication of the Planning Performance Protocol (attached at Annex 1) be approved;

(2)             the inception meeting (attached at Annex 2) be adopted; and

(3)             the updated Planning Performance Agreement charging schedule for 2024/25 (attached at Annex 3) be adopted.

Members’ approval is sought to agree the amendment and publication of the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol [Annex 1], adopt the Inception meeting template [Annex 2] and adopt the updated Planning Performance Agreement Charging Schedule for 2024/25 [Annex 3] with effect from 1 April 2024.

The report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health set out the proposed amendment to the Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) Protocol following a review of the existing Protocol, including the introduction of an Inception Meeting.  A revised Planning Performance Agreement Protocol was attached at Annex 1 and a copy of the Inception Meeting template was provided at Annex 2.  Furthermore, a revised Planning Performance Agreement Charging Schedule for 2024/25 was proposed for consideration by Members as set out in Annex 3.

Members noted that the PPA fees were set on a cost recovery only basis, however, the current fee schedule associated with PPAs did not recover the full costs of the service.  Therefore, a revised fee schedule was proposed taking into review the Borough Council’s hourly charging rates and the best estimate of timescales to cover all aspects of the PPA service.  Furthermore, a baseline review had been undertaken across the Kent authorities to review charging schedules for those authorities.  Nonetheless, it was recognised that not all development sizes were suitable to progress through a PPA.

RECOMMENDED*:  That with effect from 1 April 2024

(1)        the amendment and the publication of the Planning Performance Agreement Protocol, attached at Annex 1, be approved;

(2)        the Inception Meeting template, attached at Annex 2, be adopted; and

(3)        the updated Planning Performance Agreement Charging Schedule for 2024/25, as attached at Annex 3 and set out in 1.3.13 of the report, be adopted.

*Recommended to Cabinet