Issue - meetings

The report seeks to review the protocol for Members Advisory Panels on planning matters to ensure that the protocol is up to date and reflects good practice.

The Service Lead Planning Strategy and Development Management presented the report which sought to review the protocol for Members Advisory Panels on planning matters to ensure that the protocol was up to date and reflected good practice.

In 2007 the Council introduced a process known as the Members Advisory Panel to give a mechanism whereby Members could engage in pre-application discussions with developers looking to submit a planning application. The process was designed to give developers the benefit of input from Members at an early stage of their proposals to inform their thinking and minimise risk to them. From a Members perspective it gave them an opportunity to input into the proposals and ensure key concerns were understood by the developer and could help to influence the proposals at an early stage.

Discussions included the following:

·       This would help Members going forward with clear conditions when meeting developers and landowners

·       This should be suggested to Town and Parish Councils to consider adopting this protocol in their own planning procedures; therefore having a protocol for every level of the planning process.

The Portfolio Holder Democracy and Transparency thanked the Chairman for initiating this update and Ed Freeman for his report. He read out a quote from Transparency International UK:

'This protocol makes provision for transparency over engagement with developers throughout the entirety of the planning process, which is a key safeguard against the perception or reality of foul play.’

A change to the Member’s Planning Advisory Group was decided to include other Portfolio Holders and Assistant Portfolio Holders as determined by the Chair of Advisory Panel to be appropriate.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1.     in the membership list include the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities and add ‘as determined by the Chair of the Panel’ to the sixth bullet point and adopt the proposed Protocol for Members Advisory Panels on Planning Matters and that this be published on the Council’s web-site and used as the basis for all future meetings;

2.     agree that the Council makes contact with the Town and Parish network to inform them about the Councils approach to Member Advisory Panels and suggest they adopt a similar approach.

RECOMMENDED that Council;

3.     incorporate the Protocol for Member Advisory Panels on Planning Matters into the Constitution in the Code of Good Practice for Councillors and Officers Dealing With Planning Matters.

REASON:

To ensure that there was a clear and published protocol for Members Advisory Panel meetings.