Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2016 be approved as a correct record.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Alison Moore (who was substituted for by Councillor Claire Farrier).

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The Monitoring Officer, Davina Fiore, and Head of Strategic Planning, John Allen, presented a report which asked the Committee to agree to the establishment of a strategic pre-application process and approve changes to the constitution to improve the operational function of the Council’s planning committees.

The Committee were advised that the consultation with Planning Committee Members referred to in paragraph 5.7.1 had not taken place yet.  Consultation would take place immediately after the meeting and any comments would be reported alongside this committee’s recommendations to Annual Council on 24 May 2016. 

Members requested that the Agenda Format, Meeting Procedure and Report Structure detailed in Appendix F be revised to ensure that the section of the meeting on Strategic Pre-Application Briefings was clear that this part of the meeting would be non-decision making. 

A Member sought assurance that each strategic pre-application would take no longer than 45 minutes to consider and that there would be no more than two items per committee meeting.  Officers advised the Committee that it was proposed that there be only one strategic pre-application at each of the Planning Committee meetings scheduled to take place in September and October.  After these meetings, the strategic pre-application process would be reviewed to determine how the arrangements would be delivered during the remainder of the pilot period (up to May 2017). 

The Committee received an addendum which clarified the definition of a ‘significant public objection’ as being five or more objectors who have objected in writing to a planning application and sought agreement that Responsibility for Functions, Annex A be amended to include this definition.

RESOLVED that, having considered the recommended approach to the Strategic Planning Pre-Application Process and proposals to improve the operational function of the Planning Committee and Area Planning Committees as detailed in this report and associated appendices, the Committee recommend to Council that the Constitution be amended to incorporate the changes set out in the table below and the track change versions attached at Appendix A to Appendix E, subject to the amendment of Appendix B (Responsibility for Functions, Annex A) to include the definition of a ‘significant public objection’ as being five or more objectors who have objected in writing to a planning application.

At the meeting of the Committee held on 17 March 2016, Members agreed the approach to the recruitment of Independent Persons to chair the Standards Committee.  Members were informed that the Chairman, Councillor Rawlings and the Monitoring Officer had been conducting interviews for Standards Committee Independent Persons and it was noted that the interview panel had agreed to:

1.     Extend the appointments of the existing Independent Persons who had supported the Group Leaders Panel for a period of two years; and

2.     Appoint an additional three Independent Persons for a period of four years.

Details of the appointments would be reported to Annual Council on 24 May 2016 for formal approval.

RESOLVED that the Committee notes the update on the recruitment of the Independent Persons to Chair the Standards Committee as detailed in the preamble above.