Certainty and Consistency
The council will provide a mechanism to escalate issues to senior officers when agreed timescales and actions are not being met in the interests of expeditious decision making.
For larger and more complex proposals, the use of Planning Performance Agreements will be encouraged, to achieve a more project managed approach from pre-application, through to the application process and discharge of conditions.
All parties will engage positively and proactively with consultees to ensure that all considerations are addressed at an early stage.
The council’s internal consultees will provide clear consistent advice on applications and at pre- application. Planning applications should have regard to relevant policies. Where applications do not comply with the relevant policies, the developer will be expected to clearly justify why the application departs from relevant policies. Developers will need to submit this information in a clear, and concise format, provided within agreed timescales.
Developers will provide and pay for a viability assessment where relevant, which will be independently assessed.
Wherever possible developers will provide Draft Heads of Terms for the Section 106 agreement at the pre-application stage using the council’s draft S106 template, or if not at submission of the application.
All parties will seek to negotiate and conclude Section 106 agreements using the council’s Section 106 template, so that planning permissions can be granted without unreasonable delay through agreed timescales.
Developers will provide comprehensive, high quality relevant supporting information, reducing the need for conditions.
Developers shall submit the relevant, high-quality information with discharge of conditions applications so they can be discharged expeditiously.
All parties will seek to develop a better shared understanding of design quality standards, and, where appropriate, to engage in a design review process with the council, at the earliest stage.
Applications submitted to vary a permitted scheme or discharge a condition where a material reduction in quality is proposed should not be expected to be supported.
Also see
Planning Enquiries
DM Business Support
