(Local Councils) The Essex Association of Local Councils (Epping Forest Branch) understands that the District Council is currently undertaking a review of its Planning Protocol and associated procedures.
The Branch would like to be advised whether it is intended that consultation will be undertaken with local councils in respect of the following matters, which it is understood are part of the ongoing review, as it is concerned that these proposals appear contrary to the localism agenda:
(a) the possible disbanding of the existing framework of Area Plans Sub-Committees; and
(b) the possible removal of the existing provision for the automatic referral of planning applications to the Area Plans Sub-Committee, where applications have been objected to by parish and town councils.
The District Council will report to the Committee on the current position with regard to its ongoing review of the Planning Protocol and procedures.
Minutes:
The Assistant Director (Development Management) said that together with the Assistant Director of Governance, S Hill, the delegation of the review of the planning process was being carried out by the Constitution Working Group. It was looking at how the system was working and how it would be working with the implementation of the LP, as there would be a lot of development applications of LP sites. Therefore the Council’s work would increase and the review had also been looking at staffing resources. The Working Group was still looking into the current scheme of delegation to officers and the progress of applications through the planning committees. There could potentially be a new scheme of delegation. The intention was that this review would be brought back to the Working Group at the April 2018 meeting once redrafting of the report had been finalised. There were no current proposals by the Working Group to abandon planning committees. Once the new report had been produced, local councils would be consulted to give them an opportunity to comment on the proposals. He advised members to look at the Constitution Working Group agendas and minutes that were published on the Council’s website for more detailed information but was a work in progress at the moment.
Councillor D Stallan asked if the recommendation to consult with local councils could be taken back to the Constitution Working Group’s April meeting. Councillor M Sartin, who had chaired the last Working Group meeting, said that the Assistant Director (Development Management) had given a fairly clear view of where the Working Group was, which was not that far forward.
Epping Town Councillor T Church said he was concerned once a recommendation had come out it would be difficult to turn back, and would have preferred the Council to listen to local councils’ views at an earlier stage rather than at the end. Councillor D Stallan replied that as a member of the Working Group, these were suggestions and the members had gone through the options but could not agree, hence an extra meeting had been arranged. It had not been feasible to consult on every part of the review, only specific items, and that the recommendations made by the Constitution Working Group including the results of the consultation, would go to Council in June 2018. Councillor J Philip, also a member of the Working Group, said members were looking at the most efficient way to consult. It had not been the case that a report was ready for Council and they would be consulted on this. Members had wanted to make sure that there was a set of proposals and that there were options, then it would go out for consultation. North Weald Parish Council Clerk S De Luca said that at the EALC Epping Forest Branch meeting, attended by nine or ten local councils, the role of the planning committees had been discussed at length, and the word localism had come out of this. You could consult with local councils before any recommendations came back or were fully made. Councillor D Stallan said that members were very pro localism and were supportive of the planning committees. This had been one of the reasons why an extra meeting had been scheduled.