Issue - meetings

To invite Council to approve and adopt the changes to the Planning Scheme of Delegation which was determined by Planning Committee at its meeting on 12February 2020 and to confirm the consequential changes to the Constitution.

Council

AGREED       to approve and adopt the changes to the Planning Scheme of Delegation as set out in Appendix A which was determined by Planning Committee at its meeting on the 12^th February and authorise officers to confirm the necessary changes to the constitution that have been made and to allow officers to proceed to take delegated decisions.

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins, Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, presented this report, which recommended amendments to the Planning Scheme of Delegation that had been agreed by the Planning Committee on 12 February 2020. In moving the recommendation, Councillor Dr. Hawkins stated that the proposed amendment would remove ambiguity. She explained that the Planning Scheme of Delegations was changed in 2016, to allow decisions to be referred to the Planning Committee if the Chairman of the Committee and the Joint Director of Planning agreed to reasons provided by the Parish Council or Local Member. It was noted that the Planning Advisory Service had been commissioned to undertake a review of the three Greater Cambridge planning committees later in the year.

Councillor John Batchelor seconded the recommendation.

Councillor Heather Williams proposed and Councillor Nick Wright seconded the following amendment:

“That the motion be amended by the deletion of the words shown in strikethrough and the addition of the words shown in bold text

4. It is recommended that Council: -

 (a) Approves and adopts the changes to the Planning Scheme of Delegation as set out inAppendix A, which was determined by Planning Committee at its meeting on the 12^th February,  subject to the amendment of the paragraph numbered 1 in the Powers and Functions delegated by Planning Committee in Appendix A to read as follows:

1. A local member or Parish Council writes, or emails a request for a particular application to be considered by Planning Committee, sound planning reasons are given for why this is considered necessary and the request is accepted by the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, in consultation with the Chair of Planning Committee (or Vice-Chair in his/her absence).and the officer’s recommendation is in conflict with that of the parish council or the local member who has made the request.

(b)and authorise officers to confirm the necessary changes to the constitution that have been made, subject to the further change, as set out above, being made, and to allow officers to proceed to take delegated decisions.”

Councillor Heather Williams expressed the view that the amendment was democratic and would encourage more involvement from residents, which would enhance the reputation of the Council and restore faith in the planning system.

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins stated that the right for an automatic referral had been removed by the Conservative administration in 2016. Parish councils were statutory consultees, their views were valued and their concerns were recognised, but an automatic referral would remove the control of the Planning Committee’s agenda away from the Council to parish councils. Many parish councillors were elected unopposed, so to empower them in this way could be regarded as undemocratic. The Council would engage with parish councils in the forthcoming review.

Councillor Deborah Roberts stated that the Leader had written to all parish councils, promising full participation in the consultation process, but the consultation had not happened and so it was wrong to make a decision now. She  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10