Tom Evans, Neighbourhood Planning Manager introduced the referral of the Notice of Motion from full Council in October 2021 to the Committee.
Tom advised the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), set out and engaged with stakeholders and residents on planning applications. This needed to be refreshes to remove covid provisions. Tom also explained that in October 2020, the Council responded to the Government’s White Paper on proposed reforms to the planning system in which concern had been expressed about proposed changes that could remove an opportunity for the public to comment on the detail of a planning proposal. Given the length of time since the consultation took place, it could be timely to re-emphasis the Council’s position to the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC).
RESOLVED: (Unanimously)
That:
1) the updated Statement of Community Involvement, January 2022 attached at Appendix 1 be approved; and
2) the Chair of the Committee be authorised to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling on Government to protect the right of communities to comment on individual planning applications.