Barking and Dagenham Council is streamlining its planning process after the Planning Committee agreed to a consultation response supporting reforms to planning legislation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) at a meeting on Tuesday. The reforms aim to focus planning committees on strategic applications, reducing the burden of minor applications.
Barry Coughlan, Head of Statuary Planning and Building Control, BFAST, presented the report, explaining that the consultation includes 17 questions relating to proposed reforms to planning committees. He said that the main headline is that it creates a national scheme of delegation, which effectively will standardise schemes of delegation. This means councils will have a consistent set of rules for deciding which applications go to the planning committee and which are decided by delegated authority.
The proposed national scheme of delegation would separate planning applications into two tiers: Tier A, which would be delegated to officers, and Tier B, which would be considered by the planning committee. The intention is to streamline the process, allowing the committee to focus on more strategic applications. Coughlan noted that the council is broadly supportive of the changes, particularly the introduction of the two-tier system.
Cllr Ingrid Robinson asked about householder applications and whether residents would lose the ability to object. Coughlan responded that these applications would likely fall within Tier A and would not typically come before the planning committee. However, he added that there would still be discretion to bring applications to the committee if they are deemed controversial.
Cllr Cameron Geddes raised concerns about officers being drawn into political issues. Coughlan responded that the council supports the idea of discretion, allowing Tier A applications to be brought to the planning committee when necessary.
Cllr Sabbir Zamee asked for clarification on the size of applications that would be considered large. Coughlan responded that the government is considering a third criteria, a third threshold which is up to 50 units, and they're also suggesting that this criteria might not be within tier B.
Cllr Siddiqui expressed concerns that objections would still arise, requiring committee decisions. Coughlan responded that people will still be free to make objections, and that officers have to list objections and address them.
The committee agreed to the consultation response, signalling their support for the proposed planning reforms.
