Agenda item

J Doe gave members a brief update on the conservative strategy. He said heritage was very important and there are currently 2,000 listed buildings and 25 Conservation areas in Dacorum. The department is one of the best resourced in Hertfordshire. The Conservation Strategy was approved at Cabinet in November 2015. There is an annual action plan and this is focused on Conservation area appraisals with a photographic database in preparation for the move to the Forum.

There are heritage issues in development and the heritage team’s time is taken up with providing comments for the planning casework team. They also receive listed building applications. The team had a huge input in the Water Garden and Old Town design.

Councillor Ashbourn congratulated the officers on the Strategy and Action Plan documents provided. He questioned how well these documents will be aligned with day to day planning activity.

J Doe said a lot of conservation officer’s time was occupied with case work. Hopefully, the character appraisals will provide up to date information which is very important to properly assess planning applications. It is important to manage the department to ensure an appropriate balance of time. 

Councillor Ashbourn said that with a new influx of staff in the planning department, it is very important to interact and liaise with Town and Parish Councils.

S Whelan said that a new conservation officer had been appointed and would be a great addition to the department. Recently, there was a training session to look at conservation design in Berkhamsted and Tring which has empowered officers to understand conservation a lot more. Another session is planned for summer and it is hoped this would include some site visits. There are also plans in have a ‘design surgery’ for planning officers with conservation officers on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

Councillor Anderson asked what measures were in place to ensure the independence of the conservation officers’ advice.

J Doe said that the conservation officer is just one of the many consultees and planning officers must weigh up conflicting advice which can be difficult. If the planning issue is in a conservation area with listed buildings then the conservation comments carry a lot of weight. Other priorities include regeneration and house building. Every case is processed with a recommendation which is presented to a senior case officer for checking. This ensures checks and balances throughout the process.

S Whelan said she is yet to encounter any issue with the independence of conservation officer. S Whelan said she was comfortable officers were providing professional advice.

Councillor Hicks was pleased that there was a system of checking. He said the trouble was that applicants spend a lot of money on architect fees to match the advice given and then this is eventually rejected due to differing opinions in senior officers. Should there be a common set of ideals within the department?

S Whelan said they receive approximately 2,500 planning applications a year. She hoped there was a consistent approach. The department are going to roll out case conferences for tricky developments.

J Doe said it was also vital to have good up to date policies and character assessments. The pre application advice is critical for applicants.

Councillor Anderson said that the previous group manager had looked into including members in the pre application advice.

S Whelan said she would endorse this approach but felt it was only proportionate for large scale developments. Currently, there is a pre application phase two on Spencers Park and she was hoping to invite Development Control Committee members for a briefing.

Councillor Ransley questioned when a heritage building arrives for planning application, which weighs heavier, Core strategy or a local action plan.

J Doe said every case is different. If a building was not on the statuary list then it was not protected from demolition. He said everyone was fully aware of the pressure the borough is under to provide new housing and older buildings can be more useful for denser developments.

Councillor S Hearn suggested that the early involvement of members and councils may prevent as many objections.

J Doe said there was an upcoming review of the Core Strategy and there are currently strategic locations of development.

Councillor G Sutton gave his support to the Conservation and Planning teams. He said the work ethic has changed considerably and the conservation team’s comments are taken seriously by officers.

Outcome

The Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted and endorsed the report.