Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham

Contact: Email: committeeservcies@horsham.gov.uk  Direct Line: 01403 215465

Items
No. Item

GO/35

Minutes pdf icon PDF 823 KB

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 23rd January 2019

(Note: If any Member wishes to propose an amendment to the minutes they should submit this in writing to committeeservices@horsham.gov.uk at least 24 hours before the meeting.  Where applicable, the audio recording of the meeting will be checked to ensure the accuracy of the proposed amendment.)

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23rd January 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

GO/36

Declaration of Members' Interests

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

GO/37

Announcements

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee or the Chief Executive

Minutes:

There were no announcements.

GO/38

Review of the Functions, Responsibilities and Constitution of Planning Committees at Horsham District Council pdf icon PDF 122 KB

To consider the report of the Monitoring Officer

Minutes:

Two members of the public addressed the Committee in respect of both the recommendations in the report, suggesting changes in respect of the composition of Planning Committees and the rules in respect of speaking, and the Planning Advisory Service’s analysis in respect of the public ‘call-in’ to committee of planning applications.

 

The Monitoring Officer advised that, as she had been advised in advance of concerns regarding the public ‘call-in’ analysis, she had obtained a re-analysis of the figures by the Council’s officers which indicated that the data in the Planning Advisory Service’s report were accurate in that they were indicative and gave the general picture.

 

The Monitoring Officer then reminded the Committee of the process that it had followed over the last nine months in reviewing the functions, responsibilities and constitution of the Council’s Planning Committees including visiting/speaking to a number of other local authorities in order to review and compare practices and procedures and engaging the Planning Advisory Service to undertake an independent peer review.  The final report from this review had been circulated to all Members of the Council.

 

At its last meeting, the Committee had agreed that detailed recommendations to Council should be drawn up for consideration at this meeting, based on the draft recommendations presented at that time.

 

The Committee then considered each of the recommendations in turn, as follows:

 

1.    All Members need to be adequately trained and must attend mandatory training which includes the entire planned programme – only trained members may sit on Planning Committee.

 

It was agreed to insert the words “the full programme of” after “must attend” and to delete “which includes the entire planned programme”

 

2.    Members can opt out of sitting on Planning Committee if they choose to. If Members do opt out they are still encouraged to attend training.

 

It was agreed to add the word “so” after they and to delete the word “to” and add the words “on an annual basis” after “choose”.

 

3.    Review/changes to delegations with input from planning officers as per below:

 

Change of call-in - Where fifteen or more persons in different households living within the district or on the neighbouring district boundary or where bodies make a written representation (to include email), which discloses a material planning consideration within the consultation period.

 

Add to part 3.2.2 Functions of the Planning Committee para 5 of Constitution - functions of Planning Committees:

 

Where a Local Ward Member of the relevant Planning Committee requests it and where an objection is received. Such request to be in writing (to include e-mail) and received by the Head of Development within 35 days of the date of validation for all applications with the exception of….

 

It was agreed to delete the word “on” after “within the district or” and to replace it with “close to”; to delete the word “district” and replace it with “authority”; and to delete the words “of the relevant Planning Committee” after “Where a Local Ward Member”.

 

4.    Site visits to be undertaken  ...  view the full minutes text for item GO/38

GO/39

Urgent Business

Items not on the agenda which the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered as urgent because of the special circumstances

Minutes:

There was no urgent business.

 

Members of the Committee thanked the Chairman for his good-humoured chairmanship of the Committee, including some difficult issues, over the last twelve months.