Agenda item

Report of the Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning

5.1       The Committee received a report which provided an update on current work within the Planning Service with a focus on the implementation of the             Planning Review Programme and recent changes as a result of the COVID-           19 pandemic, in particular the introduction of Remote Planning Committees.

5.2       The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility          of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and         Wales) Regulations 2020 came into effect on Saturday 4 April 2020 and gave         local authorities the power to hold remote committee meetings until May             2021. Remote Planning Sub-Committees have been held bi-weekly since 14    April 2020.  Six Planning Sub- Committee meeting have now been    successfully held remotely and streamed using Microsoft Teams up to 23rd      June. The adoption of remote committees via the Microsoft ‘teams’ platform          has allowed residents and stakeholders to listen-in to meetings and/or             recordings of any virtual meeting via the Council website, ensuring openness and transparency is maintained during this period. Members were advised          that the Public speaking was temporarily suspended at the first two remote      committee meetings to ensure technology was fully tested and to allow             guidelines and protocols to be put in place.

5.3       The Planning Service has adapted quickly to remote working, ensuring   discussions and meetings continue with applicants and stakeholders through video calls with pre-application presentations, internal design reviews and      other meetings all held online. While there has been a fall in application numbers, applications are continuing to be received and validated online.         

5.4       Members were advised that Officers were reviewing processes which would enable physical site visits to resume and that safety measures would need to be in place prior to this occurring. The site managers and applicants would need to agree and cooperate with the proposed safety measures procedures. There are extensive Risk Assessments processes that have been put in place in other areas of the Service, this includes Building Control and Planning Enforcement. The Sub-Committee was advised that current digital tools used for site visits combined with physical visits would help to better demonstrate what sites were to look like and its development impacts.  Members were advised that Officers who were able to access the Borough would undertake site visits.

5.5       In response to questions from the Committee, Officers advised that the digital

            tools used for conducting virtual site visits and assessments could be incorporated in the presentations during the Sub-Committees. This process would ensure that the Members and all parties have an enhanced understanding of the application. The developers of planning schemes would be encouraged to use these digital tools when engaging with third parties about potential developments.

5.6       The Committee noted that there would be a continual drive to ensure that the    planning decisions process were transparent and understood by all parties.       There will be focus on improving public participation and in areas which   external parties had poorly scored. This will include obtaining views on how   these areas could be improved. Members noted that there would be residual        dissatisfaction with the process for some parties following the decision of                         the Sub-Committee.

5.7       Officers advised that hybrid meetings which involved both Members joining             virtually and being physically present at Committees were not permissible      under the current legislation and that the Local Government Association had          lobbied the Government to amend this. Members also commented on their             desire to move back to some form of physical planning committee when    possible but with the option to incorporate virtual elements. There were      discussions regarding registered speakers being able to continue to make             remote representations at      Sub-Committees post Convid-19 and it was             agreed that this would ensure full            accessibility and participation.

5.8       The Committee was advised that a breakdown of external viewers of the             virtual Sub-Committee would be provided at their next Meeting and that these   individuals would likely to be Planning Agents, members of Amenity Societies       and residents.

5.9       Members informed that residents had raised concerns about the public       access system for making comments about planning applications. Officers advised that the Planning Service is working with the IT Service on these             issues. being monitored. There are alternative ways to make representations      and these are used by numerous parties. The Committee was advised that there    had been an increase in the use of digital platforms by developers to engage with third parties and that a hybrid system which combines the mentioned and physical meetings was preferred.

5.10     Members were advised that the were some concerns with transparency with             Planning Applications and noted that it was not uncommon for the Sub-        Committee to make decisions which were contrary to Officers             recommendations. The Sub-Committee was advised that Ward Councillors    were permitted to ‘Call In’ decisions. Officers reminded the Committee that     Applicant’s Identities were not usually part of the planning process unless             there were exceptional circumstances. These include Applications which have         a confidential matter such as security issues.  A Member commented that a    different process should be implemented for Applications which were viewed    as being ‘political sensitive’.

5.11     Members were reminded that they were required to adhere to the Code of      Conduct and Planning Protocols. The Code of Conduct has recently been updated and the process for ‘Call Ins’ was retained. Members were advised     that they were responsible for determining whether they should make any            Declaration of Interests.

5.12     Members raised concerns regarding ‘abusive and inappropriate’ comments             posted on portals in relation to controversial Planning Applications and             queried if a filtering system could be put in place to monitor these posting and    ensure that they are removed before appearing on the Councils digital           platform. Officers are working with the IT Service to devise solutions to this      issue aimed at preventing inappropriate postings on public access digital        platforms.

5.13     The Chair commended Members and Officers for their work on the Sub-     Committee and for processing Planning Applications during the Convid-19 Pandemic lockdown and requested that this be recorded. 

RESOLVED:

1.     The Committee noted the changes made to the Planning Sub-Committee process in response to the Planning Review and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the successful recent introduction of Remote Committees, associated amendments to the public speaking procedure rules, and the ongoing work to enable earlier and more consistent pre-application engagement with local communities and Ward Members, including a greater focus on digital engagement.

2.     That a breakdown of external viewers of the virtual Sub-Committee be provided at their next Meeting