Planning Agents Forum Chy Trevail, Beacon Technology Park, Bodmin - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Planning Agents’ Forum Chy Trevail, Beacon Technology Park, Bodmin 10 April 2019 David Edmondson Acting Head of Development Management

Structure of the morning • Welcome – David Edmondson, Acting Head of Development Management • Working differently! The area team approach • Development Management update – Marshall Plummer, Strategic Manager • Policy update – Hayley Jewels, Acting Head of Policy • Changes to the Building Regulations – Peter Keam Coffee break – Meet the Teams • Non-mains drainage guidance – Robin Leivers, Environment Agency • Drainage and development – Jackie Smith, Sustainable Drainage Lead Officer • Question Time

Area Team Trial – two aspects: 1. Area Based Approach to Working Small, multi-disciplinary team of development officers and support officers from: • General Team • Householder Team • Admin and Support Team • Enforcement Team • Strategic Major Team Dealing with all planning and enforcement related issues within the Liskeard and Looe and the Cornwall Gateway Community Network Areas 2. Process Review • Development Management • Enforcement How can we reduce waste and make the processes more efficient?

Outputs – Area-based approach • Improved knowledge of local area and emotional connection • Enhanced understanding of NDPs • Opportunities to develop better relationships (and subsequent trust) with Local Councils and Cornwall Councillors • Reduced transport and motion waste • Improved trust within the team – reducing the need for double checking and double handling • Breaking down the barriers that exist between existing teams

Area Team Planning project - Aims Quality Development Improve the quality of development Supportive Community Meet customer expectations Develop more positive relationships with Local Councils Positive Staff Increase job satisfaction Provide greater opportunities for learning Increased responsibility and empowerment Provide opportunities for promotion Reduce failure demand/unnecessary work

Area-based approach - benefits • Improved communication – helping to develop positive working relationships with stakeholders including Applicants, Agents, Local Councils, Divisional Members and Consultees. • Enhanced case officer continuity – case officers can develop knowledge and understanding of sites within their areas, which has the potential to improve the quality of decision making. • Understanding of Neighbourhood Development Plans - case officers will have the opportunity to develop understanding, whilst improving their knowledge of local issues, which should also improve the quality of decision making

Development Management process changes • Change officer behaviour/priorities – Deal with it! • Improved communication – Talk to people! • Allocation of work pre-validation and introduction of front-screening • Site notices • No reports – simple approvals • Self sign-off – simple approvals

Allocation of work, front-screening and posting site notices • Work is allocated to the case officer prior to the registration and validation of an application • Case officer then front-screens the application to identify if the proposed development is likely to receive officer support, if it would be contrary to the local development plan, or if there is fundamental information missing • Front-screening can reduce the number of refusals and withdrawals, providing Agents and Applicants with the option to improve submissions or potentially not proceed with a proposal that is unlikely to achieve a positive outcome. • Site notices are sent to the applicant provided they live at the application site. Asking the applicants to post site notices can help speed up the determination process.

Self sign- off and ‘no reports’ • Officers will be signing off their own cases where application is being recommended for approval and where there are no objections • Delegated reports are no longer being prepared for applications where there are no objections – simple case notes are being prepared instead • For other cases, simple reports tailored to the complexity of the case will be used • Reduced report writing for simple cases can free up officer time which can then be put to other uses such as increased and more meaningful communication, negotiations to secure quality developments and speedier decision making.

Cornwall-wide Team

Meet the Team – Cornwall-wide

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Our key aim : Improving the quality of development

Development Management update Marshall Plummer Strategic Manager April 2019

% delegated December 2018 Planning Authority % 98 Plymouth 97 South Hams 97 Torridge 97 Bournemouth 97 Torbay 96 Mendip 96 North Devon 96 South Somerset 96 UNITARY AUTHORITIES 96 CORNWALL 95 East Devon 95 Mid Devon 95 Teignbridge 95 West Devon 94 ENGLAND 94 Shire districts 94 North Somerset 92 Taunton Deane 90 Exeter 89 National parks 88 Sedgemoor 82 Dartmoor National Park Source: Table P134: District planning authorities1 - applications received, decided, granted and delegated and environmental statements received, by local planning authority

% Major and Minor granted to December 2018 Planning Authority % 94 Exeter 94 Mid Devon 94 Plymouth 92 South Somerset 91 Sedgemoor 90 South Hams 89 East Devon 88 North Devon 88 Taunton Deane 87 CORNWALL 87 Torbay 85 National parks 85 Mendip 84 West Devon 84 UNITARY AUTHORITIES 84 Teignbridge 83 Shire districts 83 ENGLAND 83 Torridge 80 North Somerset 74 Dartmoor National Park 71 Bournemouth Source: Table P131: District planning authorities1 - planning applications decided and granted, performance agreements and speed of decisions, by development type and local planning authority

% decisions granted to December 2018 Planning Authority % 95 Mid Devon 94 South Hams 94 South Somerset 93 Plymouth 93 Mendip 93 North Devon 93 Exeter 93 Sedgemoor 92 CORNWALL 91 East Devon 91 West Devon 91 Taunton Deane 90 Torridge 90 North Somerset 90 National parks 89 UNITARY AUTHORITIES 89 Shire districts 88 ENGLAND 87 Torbay 87 Dartmoor National Park 86 Teignbridge 77 Bournemouth Source: Table P134: District planning authorities1 - applications received, decided, granted and delegated and environmental statements received, by local planning authority

Appeal decisions xxxxx

Development Management Update  Submitting pre-apps  CIL validation requirements and issues  Clarification - definitions for ecology surveys/what report is needed  Fees for conversions to holiday lets  Extensions of Time

Planning Policy Update Agents Forum 10 April 2019 Hayley Jewels, Acting Head of Planning Policy

Community Infrastructure Levy  Introduced 1 January 2019  Submission of a CIL Additional Information Requirement Form is now a validation requirement for planning applications  From: development creating new floor space  Spent: where infrastructure needed to support development  15-25% going to Town & Parish Councils  Recommendation to Cabinet in May -after the local share, 5% administration share and share to areas with zero CIL charge, remainder of the strategic share to be allocated via a bidding system  Work is now proceeding on the processes for the bidding system.

Housing Supplementary Planning Document  Overview and Scrutiny committee endorsed the document in March  Will be published for statutory 4 week consultation in April 2019  To Cabinet for adoption in July 2019  Aims to facilitate better quality planning applications for housing development  To speed up the determination of applications and any viability negotiations by providing clear guidance  Information on various affordable housing products  Design of affordable housing  Local need and cluster parish approach  Specialist Housing , including extra care housing  Promotes a positive approach to self and custom build housing  Increases the off-site contribution to £102,000 per dwelling - in line with cost of providing the AH unit on site

Planning for Built & Natural Environment Quality SPD  Guidance being developed on creating good quality development, including green infrastructure (GI)  Will incorporate open spaces standards, sustainable urban drainage, accessibility and non-vehicular transport and design guide and a review of highways design guide  Internal stakeholder sessions largely complete  Engagement with developers and agents to commence May  Adoption as SPD – Summer 2019

Biodiversity Guide and Net Gain approach  Existing biodiversity guide adopted 16 October 2018 – a material planning consideration  Document will be updated to include ‘net gain’ approach and will be amalgamated into built and natural environment design quality SPD  Mechanism being explored to implement a first phase of net gain requirement for major developments. Initially this is likely to require submission of net gain calculations for such sites  There are ecological benefits in maintaining existing natural boundaries for example  We will be in contact with our DM officers and agents prior to the launch date to provide clarity on the calculation