Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place

RESOLVED –

(1)            That Cabinet approved the use of powers delegated to the Assistant Director of Planning to set up a mechanism allowing applicants to enter into Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs); and

(2)            That Cabinet agreed the publication of a document on the Council’s website explaining the purpose of Planning Performance Agreement to applicants and members of the public, based on the contents of Appendix 1 to the report.

REASONS FOR DECISION - The use of PPAs will allow the Council to recoup a large part of the costs associated with officer time spent on proactively dealing with the large-scale planning applications received by the Council and reduce the cost of the Planning Service to the Council’s General Fund.  

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - Alternative options were considered and rejected for the reasons set out in the report.

Please note that this was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

The report to Cabinet proposed that the Assistant Director of Planning be authorised to use his delegated powers to enter into Planning Performance Agreements with developers. Members were informed about the purpose of these agreements, and in particular, how they could be used to ensure more effective liaison with developers on the delivery of major planning applications. This would, it was explained, help to ensure that the Council could recoup more of its costs when dealing with developers on these applications than it does at the moment.

Cabinet supported the proposed use of Planning performance Agreements.  Members welcomed the reassurance that such agreements would not give potential developers an unfair advantage, nor diminish the role of the Planning Committee when determining on Planning Applications.

RESOLVED –

(1)            That Cabinet approved the use of powers delegated to the Assistant Director of Planning to set up a mechanism allowing applicants to enter into Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs); and

(2)            That Cabinet agreed the publication of a document on the Council’s website explaining the purpose of Planning Performance Agreement to applicants and members of the public, based on the contents of Appendix 1 to the report.

REASONS FOR DECISION - The use of PPAs will allow the Council to recoup a large part of the costs associated with officer time spent on proactively dealing with the large-scale planning applications received by the Council and reduce the cost of the Planning Service to the Council’s General Fund.  

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - Alternative options were considered and rejected for the reasons set out in the report.