Reference is made in the post on Exmouth below to a “Members Advisory Panel”. Efforts to find this on East Devon District Council’s website came to nought, but Owl didn’t stop there – Owl traced a copy to Torbay Council’s website where it appears it may have been used as an illustrative document.
The whole 4 page document is actually titled “EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL PLANNING SERVICE – PRE APPLICATION ADVICE
CUSTOMER CHARTER” and gives very helpful advice to developers (the customers, of course) about how much help the council can give them (and charge for in some cases).
Page 4 gives details of how helpful the “Members advisory Panel” can be. Here is what they say:
“The Council also offers a Members Advisory Panel for major applications. This is a group of senior officers and Councillors and other interested parties who can listen to a presentation from the agent and then through its officers respond in writing. The Council has a protocol for dealing with requests from agents to put a proposal before the MAP. Officers can advise if a particular scheme warrants a submission to the MAP.
The Member’s Planning Advisory Group is comprised of:-
The Chairman of the Development Management Committee.
The Chairman of a possible Policy sub-committee or Policy Champion.
Strategic Planning Portfolio Holder.
Environment Portfolio Holder.
Economy Portfolio Holder – as appropriate
Communities Portfolio Holder as appropriate.
Ward Members.
The system for running this group would be as follows:
(i) Developers to make presentation to Member’s Planning Advisory Group with Officers present.
(ii) Members to have previously acquainted themselves with the site in question by a site visit with Officers.
(iii) Members to ask questions of the Developers, seek clarification, test arguments but not to give any form of view in support or against the proposals.
(iv) Advice on the way forward or changes to be made to the proposal would be provided by the Officers to the Developers in writing following advice from Members in a debate once the developers have left the meeting.
(v) Any Member of the Planning Advisory Group who has a personal or prejudicial interesting the proposal should not form part of the group for that particular site.
E Freeman Development Manager January 2011
Click to access Generating%20Income%20from%20Planning%20Pre-Application%20Advice%20final%20App2.pdf
Seems like a good time for some Freedom of Information requests here – perhaps going back several years …..
East Devon Watch 