Officers get tough on planning breaches

BREACHES of planning permission are being tackled with renewed vigour by council officers as they take a more pro-active approach to complaints.

Hinckley and Bosworth planning committee members were given an update into how the department was performing at a recent meeting.

They were told the service was achieving its targets by ensuring that of complaints being received, 98% of the sites in question were visited within seven working days.

The service also was hitting a 100% success rate in acknowledging complaints within three days of the alert.

An altered planning enforcement protocol was approved by the authority in March 2016 placing more emphasis on monitoring the implementation of planning permissions and ensuring any stipulated conditions are met.

Councillors were told the aim was to nip problems in the bud before they escalated to a point where neighbours complained and potential legal approaches might have to be investigated.

A report said: “The service provides pre-application advice which allows issues that could delay the speed at which a planning application to be determined to be resolved prior to submission. The way in which enforcement cases are dealt with now reflects this proactive approach.

“The first strand to this proactive approach involves working more closely with elected members and community groups - for example parish councils and neighbourhood forums to deal with common complaints that are raised.

“This may include untidy sites, unauthorised advertisements and unlawful land uses. The aim is to actively seek out problem cases and tackle them before they become an eyesore and detract from the local area or have an adverse impact on amenity.”

A new system of regular monitoring on development sites also means builders, whether individ- uals, small scale ventures or large corporations, are being taken to task more thoroughly over any flouting of planning conditions.

The report said this process allowed relationships to be brokered between site managers and local residents to prevent the existing householders being adversely affected by a development likely to go on for several years.

Examples have been Welbeck Avenue in Burbage where council officers liaised with both residents and developer David Wilson Homes on issues relating to construction of The Spinney.

The council received complaints such as HGVs turning up too early, lorries mounting pavements and damage to cars and trees.