Issue - meetings

This Draft Planning Enforcement Plan sets a framework for how the planning enforcement team will handle complaints and any subsequent investigations into breaches of planning control. It will aim to clearly set out the aims of the Planning Enforcement Team, the background to Planning Enforcement and the scope of enforcement powers. This Draft Planning Enforcement Plan sets out priorities for responses to complaints and clarify the timescales for response by Enforcement Officers. This policy document will also seek to formulise how Councillors and the general public will be kept up to date in relation to the work being carried out by the Planning Enforcement Team.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved to:

(1)      Approve the Draft Planning Enforcement Plan (Appendix 1) for a period of 6 weeks public consultation. Following which the comments received will be considered, amendments made as considered appropriate and the revised plan will be brought back to this to the committee for formal adoption.

This Draft Planning Enforcement Plan sets a framework for how the planning enforcement team will handle complaints and any subsequent investigations into breaches of planning control. It will aim to clearly set out the aims of the Planning Enforcement Team, the background to Planning Enforcement and the scope of enforcement powers. This Draft Planning Enforcement Plan sets out priorities for responses to complaints and clarify the timescales for response by Enforcement Officers. This policy document will also seek to formulise how Councillors and the general public will be kept up to date in relation to the work being carried out by the Planning Enforcement Team.

The Committee received an introduction from the Head of Planning.

The following points were raised by the Committee:

a)            Involvement with local Members: Members noted that potential breaches are to be reviewed by relevant Officers, and noted that it may be of benefit for local Ward Members to be consulted when such an occasion arises. Following consideration of this matter, it was agreed that the Officer would include the Committee’s comments in the Draft Plan.

b)           Relevant demolition: Members raised concerns regarding the use of the phrase ‘relevant demolition’ and whether members of the public may understand what is meant by this. The Officer confirmed that it relates to that requiring Planning Permission or Listed Building Consent, and agreed to clarify this in the Draft Plan.

c)            Raising awareness: Members spoke about the possibility of publishing updates via the Annual Monitoring Report in light of raising awareness of planning management and enforcement.

d)           Priorities for planning enforcement investigation: Members made a request for the following point to be added to Level 2:

·                     Any working conservation area

e)            Service standards and objectives: Members made a request for the following additional wording (in bold) to be added to the third bullet point:

·                     Regular updates about what action has been taken. Complainants will be informed and at each key stage (or at least every three months) of the process - for example, whether an enforcement notice has been served

Following consideration, it was resolved unanimously that the Committee:

(1)      Approved the Draft Planning Enforcement Plan (Appendix 1) for a period of 6 weeks public consultation. Following which the comments received will be considered, amendments made as considered appropriate and the revised plan will be brought back to this to the committee for formal adoption.