Planning By Reason
One thing I dont like at all about Bole’s latest de-bureaucratisation ideas is to remove the requirements to list the reasons for approval of an application.
In the bad old days applications came before cllrs with a recommendation for refusal and then there was a vote to approve often with no discussion. Residents got the impression the members had been got at – sometimes they had or they were rather chummy with the local party.
This was a reform designed to increase transparency and should be kept.
After all applications should be determined in accordance withe the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Unless there are reasons there is no evidence that the duty has been complied with. The presumption in favour cant trump this.
By the way I favour the change to give applicants a challenge right to validation requirements, the growth and infrastructure bill reform will be meaningless without it.
D&A statements for households/minors, often way too long and go unread as a result, but good planning should work from reason, reasoned arguments are essential for sensitive sites, especially conservation areas, large extensions in the Green Belt etc. Why not simply include it in the 1APP form with a word limit instead?
So will we have planning by reason, or continue the drift to policy and political decision by instinct and emotion?
Posted on January 22, 2013, in urban planning. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
One of the more silly/bonkers ideas. Any potential for savings points more to poor administrative systems in LPAs. It is not being suggested (yet?) that the actual need for a decision letter can be removed, so there is no saving there – leaving just the few minutes at most necessary to copy the necessary words into the letter (or ideally automatically from a good administrative system).
If an approval follows and is inline with a recommendation in a well structured officer report (whether delegated or committee) then the necessary wording can quickly be extracted from the report. If the approval follows a decision by members against officer recommendation then surely “must” provide reasons which should form part of the minutes of the meeting.
Mike