Agenda item

The Chairman of the Development Control Committee and the Development Management Service Manager to attend the meeting.                                                         

The Chairman of the Development Control Committee and the Development Management Service Manager had been invited to the meeting to discuss the introduction of pre-application charges for planning advice. They addressed a number of points raised by the Committee at its previous meeting, including whether the Development Control Committee should have been consulted on proposals, the potential impact on the quality of applications and the charging process.

The Development Control Committee Chairman stated he was satisfied with the procedure that was followed and that the Committee’s remit was to carry out functions relating to town country planning, specified in Schedule 1 to the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000, which did not include fees and charges. Proposals were the subject of detailed debate by a member working group and the Resources PDG before they were submitted to Cabinet and Council. The proposal was considered in conjunction with benchmarking information from other Lincolnshire and East Midlands authorities. The charge was based on the cost of providing the service and would cover the applicant until the completion of their enquiry.

One concern expressed was whether there would be an assumption or legal responsibility on the Council that the success of an application on which an applicant had taken pre-application advice would be guaranteed. A leaflet on the service stated that advice given at the pre-application stage was given in good faith and was not binding on the Council.

The Development Management Service Manager explained that an initial meeting or telephone conversation was free of charge. Charging began when an applicant asked for information in writing. Members suggested that all written correspondence should incorporate the caveat that taking pre-application advice did not guarantee the approval of an application. The Committee also expressed some concern about charges only beginning when information was requested in writing; they suggested that an applicant could make several phone calls or have several meetings free of charge. The Development Management Service Manager assured members that initial contact only was free of charge.

In response to concerns about whether the introduction of charging would affect the quality of applications and the number of retrospective applications, the Development Management Service Manager reported that the service was recording the number of applications received and the number of applications successfully validated. Collecting this information will help demonstrate any impact of the charge on the quality of applications.

Members considered the potential impact of recent changes to permitted development rights. While this could generate an increase in the volume of calls, basic information on what would and would not need planning permission would still be free of charge. Members were advised that any queries from their constituents should be addressed through the planning officers.

Key priorities for the service were ensuring the consistency of advice, particularly in respect of complex queries, and working with consultees on the quality, timeliness and consistency of their advice.

Councillors asked about the budgeted level of income. Following consultation with other authorities and their income in the first year of operation, the Council took a cautious view and budgeted income of £10,000. The introduction of the charge was designed to meet the Council’s fees and charges policy which was based on a ‘user pays’ approach.

The Chairman of the Committee thanked the Chairman of the Development Control Committee and the Development Management Service Manager for attending the meeting, making statements and answering questions.

11:20am to 11:27am – the meeting was adjourned.