Agenda item

1.       That the draft of a new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for consultation as set out in the report to Cabinet be approved;

2.       That further technical information on consulting on planning applications is added to the SCI and that authority  is delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration)

3.       That authority for the arrangements for targeted consultation is delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) on the basis as set out in the report to Cabinet.

Decision

 

1.       That the draft of a new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for consultation as set out in the report to Cabinet be approved;

2.       That further technical information on consulting on planning applications is added to the SCI and that authority  is delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration)

3.       That authority for the arrangements for targeted consultation is delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) on the basis as set out in the report to Cabinet.

 

Reason for Decision

 

That Cabinet consider a draft of a new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and agree arrangements for seeking feedback on this.

 

Implications

 

Financial

There are no direct financial implications relating to the preparation  of a new SCI.  However, there are implications for the consultation arrangements set out within it: and the need to balance public expectations regarding the types of consultation techniques with the costs involved. 

 

Value for money

The SCI sets out the range of consultation techniques that will be used within the planning process and the need to ensure that these are fit for purpose and proportionate in terms of the scale and nature of the planning issue(s) involved.

 

Legal

The production on an SCI is a legal requirement.  Compliance with an up to date SCI assist the Council in defending objections and appeals against its planning decisions.  Conversely, failure to comply with the standards and processes set out within the SCI could result in legal action against the Council. 

 

Staff

No direct implications for staffing.  However, all staff and elected Members need to be aware of the content of the SCI and follow processes and procedures within it.

 

 

Land

No direct implications, although the planning documents and proposals that will be subject to consultation will have implications for the future use of land.

 

Risk Implications

 

Key challenges relating to consultation are set out within the SCI itself.  Key risks relate to non-compliance with the SCI – resulting in legal challenges - and the need to balance public aspirations regarding consultation and involvement in planning decisions, with the limited budgets available.

 

Equalities implications

 

Equalities issues are considered through the Sustainability Appraisal process that all planning policy documents are subject to.  The SCI itself also considers the most appropriate consultation techniques to reach different types of consultees. There may also be indirect implications for the SCI i.e. relating to the choice of venues for public consultation events and the need to ensure these are DDA complaint.

 

Health And Safety Implications

No direct implications.  There may be indirect implications relating to different types of consultation techniques and the choice of event venues.

Corporate Objectives

The SCI sets out how the Council will consult on its planning policy document and on planning applications. It therefore directly supports the ‘Community Capacity’ and ‘Dacorum Delivers,’ and indirectly supports all other objectives via the plans and developments that arise through the planning process.

 

Advice

 

The Strategic Planning & Regeneration Team Leader gave the following introduction to the report.

 

‘The Statement of Community Involvement, or SCI for short, is the document that the Council is required to produce, that sets out how we will consult on planning policy documents and planning applications.

 

Our current SCI was adopted in 2006 and so does not fully reflect changes that have occurred since then in terms of:

1.     Government regulations

2.     Changes in the Council’s own processes and procedures

3.     And the increased use of electronic communication, websites and social media.

 

This report therefore asks for Cabinet’s approval to seek informal feedback on a new SCI.  Whilst there is no Government requirement to gain such feedback.

 

Once this consultation has taken place, Cabinet and full Council would be asked to consider the responses received and any changes required to the document as a result, before adopting the new document and its requirements coming into effect.

 

It is very important that we have an up to date SCI to govern consultation on our new Local Plan, which begins next year and also to ensure we have a clear approach to seeking feedback on planning applications and other DM processes.

 

I would therefore ask Cabinet to agree the recommendations set out in this report.’

 

The Portfolio Holder for Housing said this was an excellent idea and asked what the estimated timescales were for completion.

The Strategic Planning & Regeneration Team Leader said they would like to consult in January 2016 and would allow 4-6 weeks for responses. The level of response would then impact on when the report returns to Cabinet, which was hoped to be in the spring.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability & Regulatory Services asked what the definition was for a minimum major development.

The Assistant Director for Planning, Development & Regeneration said it was more than 10 dwellings.

The Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability & Regulatory Services explained that residents regularly complain as they are unaware of applications. She felt that neighbourhood notices should also include a site notice and this should be put in place for 10 dwellings and below.

The Assistant Director for Planning, Development & Regeneration noted the valid points raised and highlighted that arrangements for targeted consultation would be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration). He suggested that the council look into circumstances where these notices would be in use and a sensible judgement should be taken to allow those affected an opportunity to comment. He added that the neighbourhood notifications worked very well but they could look at using them in conjunction with site notices.

 

The Leader noted the points raised and suggested that the chart on page 403 of the agenda ‘Statutory Publicity requirements for Planning and Heritage applications’ be amended. A tick should be included for site notices for major developments and the title of the second column should read ‘site notice and neighbour notification letter’.

 

The Assistant Director for Planning, Development & Regeneration recommended including a criteria in the document to provide sensible judgement/advice.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning & Regeneration concluded to note that this was a much needed review as the borough was not standing still and therefore needed a framework to base on for the future.

 

Consultation

The draft revised SCI has bene discussed internally with the following teams:

• Communications
• Strategic Planning and Regeneration
• Development Management
• Legal

 

The intention of this report is to gain permission from Cabinet to extend this consultation to relevant external groups, including developers and agents, community groups and Town and Parish Councils.  

 

Voting

 

None.