Issue - items at meetings - Planning Application Local Validation Requirements Consultation

Report of the Strategic Director, Place (copy attached).

(1)         That the reviewed local validation requirements for the submission of planning applications be subject to a period of 8 weeks public consultation commencing on 7 January 2011.

(2)         That the results of the public consultation be reported back to the Environment Cabinet Member Meeting for decision.

76.1               The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Strategic Director, Place seeking approval to consult on the reviewed local validation requirements for the submission of planning applications.

76.2               The Cabinet Member explained that a validation requirement was the information needed to make a planning application valid so that it could be understood and assessed by interested residents, resident groups and planning officers. Consultation would take place to ensure that the requirements for applicants were clear, concise, necessary and easily understood. Real success had already been achieved with the approach to simplifying what is needed by using a checklist and this was the next step of the ongoing work within planning to shape the service around the customer.

76.3               Councillor Mitchell welcomed steps to make the process clearer for applicants. She queried whether there was any intention to provide Members with further information on the changes to the planning system proposed in the forthcoming Localism Bill and in particular the timetable for repealing existing planning legislation.

76.4               The Lawyer to the meeting advised that the Governance Committee had received a report prior to the publication of the Bill and that a further report would be considered at a future meeting of that Committee now that the Bill had been published.

76.5               The Head of Planning & Public Protection advised that a formal consultation on the future of the planning system had recently been launched and that reports would be considered by the Cabinet Member for Environment at future meetings.

76.6               RESOLVED - That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)         That the reviewed local validation requirements for the submission of planning applications be subject to a period of 8 weeks public consultation commencing on 7 January 2011.

(2)         That the results of the public consultation be reported back to the Environment Cabinet Member Meeting for decision.