Committee details

1. To exercise the Council’s functions relating to town & country planning & development control, the protection of important hedgerows, the preservation of trees and the regulation of high hedges, set out in the Local Authorities (Functions & Responsibilities)(England) Regulations 2000. Some applications have been reserved to the Strategic Planning Board: others are delegated on to the Head of Policy & Planning: the following are retained for the Planning Committees,

applications for Small Scale Major Development, defined from time to time by DCLG. Currently this includes

-         residential developments of 10-199 dwellings or between 0.5 and 4ha

-         retail or commercial/industrial or other floorspace of between 1,000 -9,999 square metres. or between  1ha – 2 ha.

2. To determine any other planning & development control matters

(a)   advertised as a departure from policy, which the Head of Planning & Policy is minded to approve.

(b)   submitted by a councillor, senior Council officer (tier 2 or above) or a member of staff employed within the Development Management and Policy service area; or by an immediate family member or partner of these.

(c)    involving the Council either as applicant or land owner. Unless the Head of Planning & Policy identifies some significant factor, this category will not normally include minor developments which accord with planning policy and to which no objection has been made.

(d)   referred up to them  by a councillor in accordance with the Committees` call-in procedure.

(e)   referred up to them at the discretion of the Head of Planning & Policy.

The Committees will refer up to the Strategic Planning Board matters involving a significant departure from policy which they are minded to approve.