East Suffolk Council
Council planning committee peer review
East Suffolk Council has welcomed recommendations made following a peer review of its planning committees.
The independent review was carried out by the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service (PAS) at the Council's request. To inform the review, PAS conducted 19 individual interviews with councillors, officers, parish and town councillors, local residents and applicants.
The review recognised a number of strengths in the way the authority’s North and South Planning Committees operate – both in terms of how decisions are made and the experience for those watching or taking part.
Recommendations for improvement will now be worked through by Task and Finish group of officers and councillors. The group will then report on implementation of the recommendations to the Strategic Planning Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The PAS reviewed the way a single planning application was considered during meetings of each committee – noting that planning officers play a key role in the consideration of applications, both through powers delegated to them to make certain decisions, and also through preparing reports to committees and providing professional advice to members as they consider those applications.
Cllr Mark Packard, cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management, said: “We invited the PAS to conduct an independent peer review of our planning committee to compare good practices from local planning authorities across the country.
“I welcome the strengths and recommendations identified in the review and we will take this forward as part of our ongoing commitment to driving high standards of accessibility and good decision making.
“There will be people involved in the planning process who are not happy with decisions. However, PAS found that the actions of planning officers in the meetings were prudent, professional and entirely appropriate.
“Before an application is brought to a committee, there will have been detailed discussions on whether the committee should be advised to grant permission – advice based on training and professional experience, including where, in their professional opinion, it is likely that an appeal against a refusal of would likely be successful.”
The PAS review recognised that in each case, committee members had received detailed reports setting out the planning issues, and this information was backed up by detailed presentations at committee, and in one case, a site visit.
Committee members had heard from a number of objectors and the applicants’ agents and were asked a considerable number of questions in the committee meetings. In both cases, they went on to discuss the issues that were of concern to them, including parking, highways issues and the likely impact on neighbouring residents.
It found that members of both committees thoroughly considered the planning issues surrounding the applications before them and had sufficient information to make sound planning decisions.
The recommendations of the report were:
• To make a council planning solicitor available at committee meetings to address planning law and procedure
• To review the length of planning committee reports and presentations which are thoroughly detailed and could be more succinct
• To encourage planning committee members to get involved in the application process earlier and seek advice from officers in advance of meetings
• To restrict committee questions to officers to one occasion and to reduce committee questioning on public speaking and not allow leading questions
• To ensure that the Chair’s introduction explains key planning principles, considerations and the role planning officers have in guiding members of the committee
• To remove or reduce the visual presentations provided by public speakers to ensure that any new information can be given full consideration and is not introduced in the Planning Committee meeting itself
• To limit the number of visitors attending planning committees to watch in person in the interests of comfort and safety of everyone involved in the meeting
• To undertake further committee member training on the importance of planning policy in debate, dealing with professional advice from officers and necessary preparation from meetings
• To develop a specific planning protocol to guide planning committee members through the decision-making process as part of the new local authority structure