Agenda item

To receive the report of the Director of City Development considering proposals for the establishment of a new strategic and city centre plans panel to deal with those planning applications with significant implications for the future prosperity of the City’s economy.

Councillor Gruen presented a report of the Director of City Development which proposed the establishment of a strategic plans panel with responsibility for making decisions on strategically significant planning applications for the district and for those city centre planning applications which are considered by Members.  It also provided proposals for changes to the geographical areas covered by the other two panels, which takes account of recent application workloads, the need to achieve timely and predictable outcomes for major developments, the need to improve performance in the determination of major applications and the importance of securing involvement and participation in planning decision making by Members, local residents and other interest groups.

The Chief Planning Officer and the Head of Planning Services were in attendance to answer Member questions.

Members discussed the report in detail. Specifically Members raised questions about the meaning of ‘Job Growth’ in terms of defining a strategic planning application and that ‘Significant Job Growth’ would be a better term. 

Members also had considerable debate over the need for a protocol to be in place prior to the establishment of a ‘Strategic Panel’.

Consideration was also given to the name ‘Strategic Panel’ this name was rejected by Members who preferred the name of ‘City Plans Panel’.

Members highlighted the importance of them being notified and involved in strategic planning applications that effect their wards during pre-application discussions.

The Head of Governance Services advised the Committee that the starting date for the new arrangements should  take into account the scheduled meeting of the Plans Panel (West) on 13 September 2012. 

RESOLVED – Members of the General Purposes Committee resolved to:

(a)  note the outcome of the review of the composition of the plans panels;

(b)  note and support the Executive Member’s commitment to produce, at the earliest opportunity, and in consultation with Members from all political groups:

• a revised protocol for pre-application involvement, including Heads of Terms where there are legal agreements;
• an action plan to take forward the suggestions made from the working party, as set out in paragraph 3.1.15 to the report

(c)  pending the revised protocol, instruct the Chief Planning Officer to urgently, (in the period leading up to the September Council meeting), seek cross-party consensus on an interim set of principles to govern how the panels will operate;

(d)  recommend full Council approve revised arrangements as set out in the report including:

·   the Terms of Reference for a strategic plans panel (to be named the City Plans Panel) as set out at Appendix 1 to the report;

·  the Terms of Reference for Area Plans Panels as set out at Appendix 2  to the report – these being the North and East Plans Panel, and the South and West Plans Panel, the boundaries for which are shown on the attached appendix 2a to the report; and 

·   an amendment to Article 8 of the Constitution to dis-apply the restriction on membership numbers to the proposed Strategic Plans Panel as set out at Appendix 3 to the report; and

(e)  review the operation of the revised plans panels arrangements 6 months after commencement.