Issue - meetings

To receive a briefing on the pre-planning application service and the recent performance of the planning service.

The Committee received a report on the Pre-application Planning System from the Development Management and Building Control Manager. He outlined the system which was introduced in October 2011 to provide a much more structures and improved service for pre-application advice. The report showed the sliding scale of charges which included 30 minute sessions which were free to all and provided verbal advice only. Pre-application advice was discretionary for applications and no one was forced to use it. Currently other authorities using similar schemes included Staffordshire Moorlands and Shropshire and Trafford and Stockport were looking to adopt pre-planning charging in the next financial year.

The service had been expected to provide approximately £75,000 income to the Council in 2012/13. Over the first four months of the new service the income had been £38,040 which if it was repeated over the next 12 months would provide revenue of £114,120, well above the initial £75,000 estimate. The report showed that current estimated number of cases exceeded the original estimate.

The service had received good feedback and was considered good value for money, provided better advice and more engagement with Members. It provided more time for officer to influence developments and reduced the number of complaints due to increased understand of the planning process by applicants.

The Committee asked whether there was an assumption from developments that paying for the pre-application service meant that their applications would guaranteed to be approved. The Committee was assured that officers make it very clear to developers that the approval of planning application was still down to planning committees and that paying for advice would have no effect on the decision process but could improve the application to make it more likely to be approved.

Currently charges did not cover costs however Government were considering to allow local authorities to set their own charges which would allow them to cover the costs in necessary.

RESOLVED: That the report be endorsed by the Committee and the Development Management and Building Control Manager be requested to return in 6 months with an update on the pre-application planning service.