Just 46 planning applications out of 1,188 decided in public
JUST 46 planning applications out of a total of 1,188, were decided in public by Charnwood Borough councillors over a 12 month period in 2016/2017.
The rest of the applications were decided by borough council officers, using delegated powers.
The release of the figures comes after the Echo made its annual request for the information from the borough.
Last year the newspaper pressed for all applications to be heard and voted upon at the public planning committees, in the interests of transparency.
This has been rejected so far, but along with the latest figures the borough council has announced it is looking to include a list of the delegated decisions, each month, on its planning committee agenda.
However, councillors won’t be allowed to vote on them.
JUST 46 planning applications out of a total of 1,188, were decided in public by Charnwood Borough councillors over a 12 month period in 2016/2017.
The rest of the applications were decided by borough council officers, using delegated powers.
The release of the figures comes after the Echo made its annual request for the information from the borough.
Last year the newspaper pressed for all applications to be heard and voted upon at the public planning committees, in the interests of transparency.
This has been rejected so far, but along with the latest figures the borough council has announced it is looking to include a list of the delegated decisions, each month, on its planning committee agenda.
However, councillors won’t be allowed to vote on them.
The council says the introduction of the list has nothing to do with the Echo’s campaign, but is to provide “even further transparency”.
A Charnwood Borough Council spokesperson told the Echo: “Every planning authority in the country has a process by which most applications are dealt with using powers delegated to officers.
“Most of these applications are minor, such as applications to carry out work to trees, to put up advertising boards and signs, and to build conservatories and extensions on homes.
“In the main, the only applications to go to the Plans Committee are those of a significant size or sensitivity. All councillors are notified about applications in their wards so they have an opportunity to ask for these to be considered by Plans Committee if they are concerned about their impact.
“To be clear, all decisions made – whether at officer or committee level – are made transparently in the public domain.
“Every single planning application we receive is published on our website and is searchable. All comments about each application are also published.
“We post site notices in the area of each application, write to the people directly affected and place public notices in the press.
“We also actively engage ward members and town and parish councils.
“The Plans Committee agendas and reports are available on our website and the meetings are held in public so anyone can attend. We also post the decisions made at committee on the council’s main Twitter account at the end of every meeting.
“We would like to stress that every application which requires consideration by the Plans Committee will go before the commit-
tee.
“We also intend to include delegated decisions on the agenda for our Plans Committee from this year’s February meeting.
“The decisions won’t be up for discussion because a ‘delegated decision’ is just that – a decision that has been made.
“There is no scope to reopen the application once a decision has been made.
“They will be published to give councillors and the public insight into trends in decision making, to enable them track applications through the process and to assist consistency of decision making overall.
“The reason we’re doing this is because it’s something councils do elsewhere and will bring us into line with best practice and provide even further transparency for councillors and the public.
“It will also provide a summary of all decisions made, in a defined period, in one place on the agenda, rather than the alternative which is to look up each application on the online portal.”
Reacting to the inclusion of the delegated items on the agenda Echo editor Andy Rush said: “It’s a start I suppose, so fair play to the council for that, but I’m afraid it’s nowhere near enough.
“Now that the list is actually on the agenda, all the council has to do now is to introduce a vote by the councillors to pass or reject the items, before they are given final approval. “It’s easy enough to do. It would make the whole process transparent.”
• During the period of November 1, 2016, to October 31, 2017, there were a total of 1,188 applications. Forty-six of those applications (four per cent) were determined by plans committee in public.
From November 1, in 2015, to October 31, in 2016, a total of 40 out of 1,294 applications (three per cent) were debated and decided upon by councillors in public.
The remaining applications, were determined by council offic-ers.
Back in 2014 a total of 69 out of 1,263 planning applications, or five per cent, were decided by the plans committee over a period of 12 months.