Agenda item

The local lists define what information needs to be submitted with a planning application for it to be registered. 

The report of the Principal Planning Officer invites the Strategic Planning Board to approve, for implementation with effect from 1 April 2009, local checklists to be used in the validation of planning applications across Cheshire East.     

As part of the drive to provide a quicker and more efficient planning service, a standard electronic application form (1APP) was  introduced in   April 2008.  To support the standard form, local authorities were able to draw up their own validation checklist to address the level of required information required to accompany the different categories of planning application.  The Strategic Planning Board was invited to a set of validation checklists for Cheshire East which had been appended to the agenda noting two minor amendments.

Under the Design and Access Statements paragraphs, a number of designated areas had been set out in the national guidance which did not necessarily apply to Cheshire East and the Chairman requested, to ensure clarity, that they be removed from the document or an explanatory note explaining their relevance be added.  Concern was also raised that reference had not been included in the documents to sustainability matters, the Strategic Planning Board requesting that steps be taken to rectify the omission. 

Other changes were proposed as follows –

Paragraph 7.6 main report.  A discussion ensued about whether it was appropriate for the authority to state that it would decline to determine an application in the absence of requested information when in reality, the application would fail to be registered.  A request was made for the word ‘decline’ in the third line of the paragraph to be removed and substituted with ‘registered’.       

To promote an inclusive approach, it was suggested that appropriate hyperlinks be included in the electronic application forms to enable applicants to link to, rather than search for, applicable reference documentations.  In supporting this proposal, Members went on to raise questions as to how well the Cheshire East website and Planning Portal were interlinking and the Strategic Planning Board requested that a progress report be submitted to its next meeting.  

The need to consult on changes to the local lists was questioned by Members and for the avoidance of doubt, it was confirmed that minor amendments to policy would be submitted to the Strategic Planning Board for approval, with only fundamental changes being subject to public consultation.

RESOLVED: That the Planning Application Validation Local Check Lists be approved and adopted with effect from 1 April 2009.