Agenda item

Context:

 

To undertake scrutiny in respect of the performance of the Council’s Planning Service for the period 2016-17. The Select Committee received a presentation outlining details of the annual performance report.

 

Key issues:

 

The planning service’s work links directly with Monmouthshire County Council’s objective of delivering sustainable, resilient communities.  The service is directly involved with wider corporate projects such as 21^st Century Schools, rationalising the Authority’s estates portfolio and forms an enabling tool to help address some of the challenges and issues identified by Future Monmouthshire.

 

Key areas of work for the Planning Service include:

 

·         Providing pre-application advice to customers.

 

·         Determining planning applications in accordance with adopted policy and material planning considerations, taking into account stakeholder comments and corporate objectives.

 

·         Securing financial contributions from developers to offset the infrastructure demands of new development and meet the need for affordable housing.

 

·         Safeguarding the County’s 2400 Listed Buildings and 31 Conservation Areas, areas of archaeological sensitivity, the Wye Valley AONB, the Brecon Beacons National Park and the European designated Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation.

 

·         Taking robust enforcement action against unauthorised development that is unacceptable.

 

·         Raising awareness of the statutory role and importance of the land use planning framework, building on the high levels of engagement underpinning the LDP process.

 

·         Preparing supplementary planning guidance (SPG) to assist with the implementation and interpretation of LDP policy.

 

·         Implementing the Council’s LDP through engaging and working with communities, and partnership working with internal and external partners to foster the co-creation and growth of enterprise, community and environmental well-being.  This will include involvement with the Whole Place work and Local Well-being Plan.

 

·         Monitoring and evaluating Plan policies and the process of Plan preparation.

 

·         Joint working with South East Wales Authorities with the ambition of preparing a Strategic Development Plan.

 

Customer service feedback:

 

Between 2010 and 2012 the Council’s Planning Service underwent a Systems Thinking review. This review sought to strip the function back to first principles:

 

·         what is important to our customers, and how can waste (actions or procedures that do not add value to the outcome) be eliminated.  This evidence-based review has been fully implemented, although part of the Systems Thinking approach requires services to be kept under review and closely monitored.

 

This review identified that the following issues are important to customers:

 

·         Customers value pre-application advice and advice during the consideration of the application.

 

·         They want officers to be accessible and for there to be open and honest communication.

 

·         They want consistency of pre-application advice and in validation of applications.

 

·         They want the Planning Committee to follow the officer’s recommendation and value being able to have a dialogue with Members prior to determination.

 

·         They don’t want too many conditions being attached to decisions, and when conditions are imposed they should be relevant and easy to discharge.       

 

·         They value being able to submit an application online and to search for applications and information online.

           

·         Third parties value being listened to during the application process.

 

The service operates with these priorities as guiding principles, shaping behaviour and procedures.  The service is committed to having an outcome focus rather than chasing arbitrary performance targets that are not a priority to customers.

 

Member Scrutiny:

 

·         Planning Aid Wales has agreed to provide training during this financial year, as a bench mark pilot for Wales.  Shortly after the local elections in May 2017, Planning Aid Wales had provided training for Planning Committee Members.

 

·         With regard to the 10% of planning applications that are not approved during the designated time, the department does try to learn from these applications with a view to establishing areas that could be improved upon to create a leaner process.

 

·         The Planning Department works with applicants to ensure that all information asked for has been received before the application is determined.  This might create a short delay in the process, on occasions, but generally, applicants would rather go through this process to ensure all information is available for determination of the application.

 

·         Some of the applications that fall within the 10% result in extensions of time being discussed with applicants. Officers have set a target of reaching a minimum of 95% on achieving an agreed time limit to determine applications. Applicants want to obtain planning permission as quickly as possible but ultimately, they want their application to be approved.

 

·         96% of planning applications are approved.

 

·         There has been a 40% increase in demand for enforcement cases.  The Planning Department has launched an app on MyApp.

 

·         Further work is being undertaken to improve the process from the pre-application advice stage through to the application stage. 98% of pre-applications received were approved.

 

·         The rurality of Monmouthshire is a challenge but site visits are clustered and there are area teams in place. 

 

·         Monmouthshire County Council’s Planning Department does not receive any funding from Welsh Government.  The Department receives income from planning application fees and pre-application advice.

 

·         In April 2017, the Planning Department had introduced a fast track householder service. Monmouthshire County Council is one of the first authorities in Wales to bring in this service. The standard time for a planning department to consider a planning application for householders is eight weeks.  The fast track householder service will guarantee that the department will consider an application within four weeks, for an additional cost.  To date, seven applications have been received via this process and all applications have been successful and been completed within the four week period.

 

·         Another service being offered by the Planning department is a pre-completion certificate whereby, if a customer is buying a property they can ask the department if all of the conditions have been discharged and whether the dwelling has been built in accordance with the approved plans, allowing the customer to purchase the property with confidence. A post completion service is also being provided.  Monmouthshire County Council is the only authority in Wales, and possibly in the UK, to bring in these services.

 

·         The Planning Department has a committed workforce.  However, there is a need to address the pressures that are being placed on staff by creating a more balanced working environment. There has been some changes to the departmental management team providing more line management for teams, which was welcomed by staff.

 

·         A fast track pre-application service will be introduced in due course in which the process will be undertaken in half the time if the applicant pays double the fee.  If the process is not delivered within the timescale then the additional funding will be returned to the applicant.  Capacity in supporting departments is essential to deliver this service.

 

·         A Planning Performance agreement is being discussed whereby, an applicant of a major scheme could agree to pay an extra amount of money for matters to be agreed within agreed timescales.  This will require an amount of resource to achieve this.  This issue has been put to one side for the time being while various other projects are completed, but is being considered for the future.

 

·         Concern was expressed that such premium services might negatively affect those applicants that are unable to afford the premium services.  In response, it was noted that these matters would be closely monitored.

 

 

Committee’s Conclusion   ·         The importance of training was identified, particularly for town and Community councils.   ·         The Planning Department is providing a good bespoke service for customers.   ·         The rurality of Monmouthshire is a challenge for the department with the funding formula not addressing rurality.   ·         Resources are an issue with the Department operating with limited resources.  The Select Committee will monitor this issue.   We resolved to endorse the Annual Performance Report for submission to Welsh Government by 31st October 2017.