Issue - meetings

Consideration of recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of the Planning Advisory Service Review report and associated Action Plan.

Consideration was given to the recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of the Borough Council’s planning service following a review by the Planning Advisory Service.

Due regard was given to the views of the Committee, the financial and value for money considerations, the legal implications and the assessment of risk. Cabinet welcomed the views of the Planning Advisory Service and wider Members. In recognition of rebuilding member-officer relationships and improving engagement and communication  Cabinet supported the Scrutiny Select Committee recommendation to amend R3 and R5 of the Action Plan (attached at Annex 3) to include:

(i)              Area Planning Chairs and Vice-Chairs; and

(ii)             The Cabinet Member for Planning and the Chair of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee respectively.

Cabinet proposed some further amendments to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Select Committee that were unanimously supported:

(iii)           R3 and DM11 of the Action Plan to be amended to include a design workshop session;

(iv)           In order to monitor progress being made on delivering priorities, Recommendation (4) be amended to report progress on the Action Plan to all meetings of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee; and

(v)             To improve efficiency in determining planning applications a review of the current process around adjournments at Area Planning Committees be undertaken.

Cllr Boughton proposed, Cllr Mehmet seconded and Cabinet

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the contents of the Planning Advisory Service Review report, including the recommendations for action, be noted;

(2)             subject to the amendments set out at (i) (ii) and (iii) above, the proposed Action Plan (Annex 3) for delivering on the Planning Advisory Service Review recommendations be endorsed and adopted;

(3)             the proposed timescales in the Action Plan be noted and approved;  

(4)             an update on progress on the Action Plan be reported as a standing item on future Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee agendas; and

(5)             a review into the adjournment of applications at Area Planning Committees, in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 15.24, be undertaken to explore if the current process could be streamlined.

(Decision Notice D260007CAB)

Consideration was given to the recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of the Borough Council’s planning service following a review by the Planning Advisory Service.

Due regard was given to the views of the Committee, the financial and value for money considerations, the legal implications and the assessment of risk. Cabinet welcomed the views of the Planning Advisory Service and wider Members. In recognition of rebuilding member-officer relationships and improving engagement and communication  Cabinet supported the Scrutiny Select Committee recommendation to amend R3 and R5 of the Action Plan (attached at Annex 3) to include:

(i)              Area Planning Chairs and Vice-Chairs; and

(ii)             The Cabinet Member for Planning and the Chair of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee respectively.

Following in-depth discussion on how the actions recommended by the Planning Advisory Service were to be progressed and how communication with Members would be managed, Cabinet proposed some further amendments to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Select Committee that were unanimously supported:

(iii)           R3 and DM11 of the Action Plan to be amended to include a design workshop session;

(iv)           In order to monitor progress being made on delivering priorities, Recommendation (4) be amended to report progress on the Action Plan to all meetings of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee; and

(v)             To improve efficiency in determining planning applications a review of the current process around adjournments at Area Planning Committees be undertaken.

Cllr Boughton proposed, Cllr Mehmet seconded and Cabinet

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the contents of the Planning Advisory Service Review report, including the recommendations for action, be noted;

(2)             subject to the amendments set out at (i) (ii) and (iii) above, the proposed Action Plan (Annex 3) for delivering on the Planning Advisory Service Review recommendations be endorsed and adopted;

(3)             the proposed timescales in the Action Plan be noted and approved;  

(4)             an update on progress on the Action Plan be reported as a standing item on future Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee agendas; and

(5)             a review into the adjournment of applications at Area Planning Committees, in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 15.24, be undertaken to explore if the current process could be streamlined.

[Subsequent to the meeting, the Action Plan was updated to reflect amendments (i), (ii), (iii) and (v)]

The report presents the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) review report to Members for approval along with an action plan for delivering on the recommendations of the review.

Careful consideration was given to the report of the Planning Advisory Service in respect of the Borough Council’s planning service (attached at Annex 1).  A number of recommendations had been made and proposed actions, timescales and ownership were set out in the Action Plan (attached at Annex 3). 

Members welcomed the views of the Planning Advisory Service, recognised the importance of maintaining an effective working relationship between Officers and Cllrs and improving communication, supported consideration of heritage, design and landscape as part of a wider service review and noted that validation of planning applications would be formally monitored as a Key Performance Indicator from 2026/27.   Further detail was requested in respect of planning appeal statistics and these would be provided out of meeting.

Particular reference was made to recommendations in respect of rebuilding member-officer relationships and the pre-application service, as detailed in R3 and R5 of the Action Plan (Annex 3) and on the grounds of improving engagement and communication with Members the Chair proposed that these be amended to include:

(i)              Area Planning Chairs and Vice-Chairs;  and

(ii)             the Cabinet Member for Planning and Chair of Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee respectively. 

These were seconded by Cllrs Hood and Thornewell respectively and supported unanimously.

The Chair proposed, Cllr Dalton seconded and it was

*RECOMMENDED:   That

(1)             the contents of the Planning Advisory Service Review report, including the recommendations for action, be noted and commended to Cabinet;

(2)             subject to the amendments set out at (i) and (ii) above, the proposed Action Plan (Annex 3) for delivering on the Planning Advisory Service Review recommendations be endorsed and commended to Cabinet for adoption;

(3)             the proposed timescales in the Action Plan be noted and commended to Cabinet;  and

(4)             an update on progress on the Action Plan be reported to the May meeting of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee.

*Recommended to Cabinet