| Administrative History | The Strategic Planning Board oversees the division of the Council’s Development Management functions and workload in order to ensure timely and consistent decision-making at the most appropriate level.
The board monitors the volume and type of applications determined; assessing the performance of the Development Management service, and, if appropriate, varying the number, size and working arrangements of the Planning Committees; appointing the committees' membership and can vary the division of functions and delegations between the Board, the Planning Committees and the Head of Planning & Policy
The board adopts working protocols and procedures: eg: protocols governing the direction of applications between the Planning Committees, public speaking rights, call-in procedure and others.
The board exercises the Council's functions relating to town & country planning & development control, the protection of important hedgerows, the preservation of trees and the regulation of high hedges set out in the Local Authorities (Functions & Responsibilities)(England) Regulations 2000. Most of these functions are delegated to the Planning Committees and then onwards to the Head of Planning & Policy but the following are reserved to the Board:
(a) applications for Large Scale Major Development, defined from time to time by DCLG. (Currently this includes residential developments of 200 dwellings or more, or 4 ha or more and 10,000 square metres or more, or 2ha. or more of retail, commercial or industrial or other floorspace.)
(b) applications for major minerals or waste development
(c) applications requiring Environmental Impact Assessments
(d) applications involving a significant departure from policy which a Planning Committee is minded to approve.
(e) any other matters which have strategic implications by reason of their scale, nature or location.
(f) any other matters referred up to it at the discretion of the Head of Planning & Policy.
The board exercises a consultation and advisory role, commenting upon the content of proposed planning policy and upon the effectiveness of existing policies employed in development control decisions. |