Issue - meetings

The Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development and the Head of New Communities presented the report which updated the committee on the performance of the Planning Enforcement Service.

The committee was informed that:

·         Since the report had been written, structures had been removed as a result of enforcement notices at St Martin’s Cottage and Thistledown Cardinals Green.

·         The service had seen a 25% increase in the reporting of complaints. Reporting was easy to do online and a large number of complaints turned out to be permitted development. The website encouraged potential complainants to understand whether their complaint related to permitted development or to a real breach.

·         There was no standard timescale for the completion of an enforcement case and new enforcement cases were not necessarily closed within a quarter, particularly where there was a real breach of control.

·         The current approach was to try and resolve cases without statutory notices being served.

·         The Enforcement Policy would be reviewed and the Scrutiny and Overview Committee’s input would be sought.

·         The committee was informed that Planning Enforcement officers were receiving the support they needed from the shared legal service. The committee was informed that the shared legal service had an in-house barrister, which had been helpful.

·         The committee was informed that Planning Enforcement had a drone, which was helping to turn enquiries around more promptly without having to secure access to sites.

·         The local member for Smithy Fen asked whether comital proceedings had been instigated regarding the breach of injunction. It was urged that this not be tolerated and comital proceedings be progressed as soon as possible. In response to this, members were informed that legal papers would be issued within the next 10 days.

·         The Chairman requested that the service made sure that all elected members, including those elected through a by-election, were included in the circulation of the weekly enforcement report to members.

The committee noted the report.