Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the Statement of Community Involvement be approved, as submitted.

(ii)        That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development be authorised to agree minor editorial changes prior to publication.

REASONS

To enable an up to date and accurate SCI to set out guidance on how the planning system works and sets out how the council will inform, consult and involve people in planning decisions within Horsham District.

The Director of Planning, Economic Development and Property presented the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development’s report on the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), reminding Members that this was a statutory document which set out the ways in which the Council would engage with residents, communities, businesses, local organisations and other groups to ensure as many people as possible were able to have a say in planning decisions that affected them.

The document would provide guidance on how the planning system worked and set out how the Council would inform, consult and involve people in planning decisions within Horsham District, excluding the area within the South Downs National Park.

A draft Statement of Community Involvement had been agreed for consultation at the Cabinet meeting of 22^nd September 2016. Consultation had taken place from 26^th September to 7^th November 2016 and a small number of clarifications had been made to the document in response to this consultation.

If adopted, the document would replace the SCI that had been published in 2013 and which was now out of date as a result of legislative changes to the planning system.

The Planning and Development Policy Advisory Group supported the proposed SCI.

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the Statement of Community Involvement be approved, as submitted.

(ii)        That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development be authorised to agree minor editorial changes prior to publication.

REASONS

To enable an up to date and accurate SCI to set out guidance on how the planning system works and sets out how the council will inform, consult and involve people in planning decisions within Horsham District.