Agenda item

Joint report of the Leader and Cabinet Member Customer & Regulatory Services

The Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services introduced his report, saying that there is a statutory requirement to review periodically the SCI and bring forward a revised version of how we intend to involve people in the planning process at all levels.  He thanked Tracey Birkinshaw and John Spurling for all their work,  and the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing for his input on hard-to-reach groups, which makes the document more up-to-date and relevant.

He highlighted the large section on neighbourhood planning, where the help and support of CBC officers is essential,  and will be needed to help facilitate the process in unparished areas considering this route. He also drew Members’ attention the council’s approach to individual planning applications – due to resource constraints, the standard approach of only notifying immediate neighbours was occasionally too narrow, and a small tweak will allow case officers to consult and notify more widely in some circumstances. The new head of Development Management intends to look into this. 

He concluded by saying that some government ministers are dismissive of the idea of careful and considerate planning processes with a lot of consultation, but he feels that we have to take time, to consider hard-to-reach groups, and consult with local communities and neighbours, all of whom have an important part to play in an accountable and fair process.

In response to a Member’s question, the Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services gave assurance that, in line with JCS policy SD12, the council will publish documents relating to viability assessments for affordable housing with the papers, making them open to scrutiny.  The Member was concerned that developers sometimes claim they cannot provide affordable housing by inflating costs and under-representing income, and there is no opportunity to scrutinise this.  

In debate, Members made the following observations:

-       noting the importance of neighbourhood plans, it is great that residents in non-parished areas have a voice, and that CIL money is available for their projects, but when creating a neighbourhood plan, a prerequisite is a neighbourhood forum of 21 residents, with the support of local councillors. In many cases, neighbourhood plans could be created across a division, not just in one ward, but it can still be difficult to get over the first hurdle of getting the requisite 21 residents together to create a neighbourhood forum;

-       the importance of the SCI shouldn’t be underestimated, as it is essential that we don’t passively sit back and only consider feedback from elements of the community who are most likely to take part in consultations.  Many relevant interest groups have the right to take part and can do a huge amount to help, including hard-to-reach groups such as the young, the old, disabled residents, schools, colleges, and special interest groups.  If the consultation on strategic planning is approved later in the meeting, Members should proactively ask everyone in their communities for feedback – no-one should be excluded;

-       community involvement is a critical part of the planning process, with officers and Planning Committee Members starting by looking at the representations and ensuring that the issues they raise are understood and addressed.  All Members have a role to play – they receive the weekly planning list, and can communicate with residents about any applications which may be relevant or concerning to them.  By law, planning authorities only have to notify neighbours in one of four ways; CBC often goes over and above this, but it is clear that the high cost of writing to all residents in a street is significant; it is good to hear that the new Head of Development Management is going to look at this. Planning applications have a real impact on peoples’ live and it is essential to listen to both sides;

-       notifying councillors of S106 negotiations in their wards is to be welcomed,  but would be helpful if they could also be advised of negotiations in adjacent wards which may also affect their residents;

-       it is vital that applications and consultations are written in a way which is understandable to everyone, whatever their background or education – only then will we seriously tackle the issue of community involvement. People need to access the information, understand what is being proposed, know how to respond and be clear on how they can have a role in the whole process;

-       problems in local government consultation have been an issue for a long time, but a particular issue is development at the end of a cul-de-sac or on a corner plot, where residents on one side may be consulted and residents on the other side not.  We need to do our best to ensure that all people who may be affected, for example by additional traffic or construction vehicles, are adequately consulted so that their views can be taken into account by planners;

-       the list of hard-to-reach groups does not claim to be exhaustive, but should  include armed forces veterans;

-       the clearly stated intention on how the council will engage with residents and partners is very important and to be welcomed.

In response to Members’ comments, the Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services made the following points:

-       there is a commitment for officers to support residents in unparished and less affluent areas, but the requirements for creating a neighbourhood plan are set in national legislation, with no scope to vary. Hester’s Way is a good example of what can be achieved, however;

-       Members’ comments about taking a proactive approach to ensure real involvement are well made; 

-       it is true that CBC does more than the minimum consultation, but any further consultation will require more resource so a balance has to be struck. The report allows for wider consultation in some contexts, but Members should contact the new Head of Development Management with their views and suggestions.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the revised Scheme of Community Involvement, attachedto the report atAppendix 2 is adopted to take effect immediately; and

2.    authority is delegated to the Director of Community & Economic Development, in consultation with the Leader and the Cabinet Member Customer and Regulatory Services, to prepare the Statement of Community Involvement for publication correcting any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical and formatting changes that do not affect the substantive content of the Statement of Community Involvement.