Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Planning Policy.

Purpose of report

To approve the Council’s updated version of the Statement of Community Involvement which had been amended to take into account recent legislative changes and in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Decision

That the revised Statement of Community Involvement, incorporating changes in legislation, the recent Covid-19 pandemic and findings from a six week public consultation on the proposed changes to the document, be approved.

Other options considered and rejected

None.

Reason for the decision

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Planning Policy presented the report which set out the requirement of the Council to produce a Statement of Community Involvement in accordance with Section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. It was noted that the purpose of the Statement was to set out how the Council would engage with communities who had an interest in matters relating to development in their areas. Specifically it set out information on when, who with and how the Council would consult in respect of planning, listed building and other types of applications together with the drafting of planning documents. The Statement also outlined the techniques available and likely to be used during consultation, ensuring that a degree of flexibility was maintained so that methods could be appropriately tailored.

A six week public consultation on the draft revised Statement of Community Involvement, reflecting changes in legislation and the recent Covid-19 pandemic, was undertaken between 5 February 2021 and 16 March 2021. There was no statutory obligation to undertake this consultation, but it was good practice to do so. 24 comments had been received from various consultees, including both statutory and non-statutory consultees. As a result of comments received, the document had been refined and the key findings from the consultation were set out in Appendix 2 of the report.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Planning Policy placed on record his thanks to the team in compiling the revised Statement.