Issue - meetings

The Council considered the recommendations from the Planning Committee in respect of applications for approval of details reserved by condition submitted by Woking Borough Council and its companies/entities.  At the present time, all such applications had to be reported to the Committee for determination.  However, the volume of applications was such that it was now proposed that authority for the determination of such applications should be delegated to the Development Manager in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Committee.

Details of the applications submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/ entities would be circulated to all Members on a regular basis.

RESOLVED

That (i)    applications for approval of details reserved by condition submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/entities be delegated to the Development Manager for determination in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Committee (or in their absence, the Vice-Chairman); and

          (ii)   the Development Manager arrange for a list of conditions applications submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/entities to be circulated to all Members on a regular basis.

Under the current scheme of delegation, applications for approval of details reserved by condition submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/entities needed to be reported to Planning Committee for determination. There had been two periods (between 6 April 2021 to 8 June 2021 and 20 July 2021 to 7 September 2021) when temporary arrangements were agreed to allow these types of applications to be delegated to the Development Manager for determination in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Committee. It was proposed to make these arrangements permanent.

Councillor D Hughes commented that she thought it was important not to lose the openness that came with the reserved conditions coming before the Planning Committee for determination. She noted that the recommendation before them was sensible, however asked if an additional recommendation could be added which would ensure members continued to be advised of those details that were reserved by condition and where authority was delegated for determination. These would be circulated on a regular basis in a similar was as the fortnightly planning lists. The timescale and frequency of circulating this condition list would be determined by Officers when they knew what was technically possible.

RESOLVED that the Committee RECCOMENDED to Council that

i.)    applications for approval of details reserved by condition submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/entities be delegated to the Development Manager for determination in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Committee (or in their absence, the Vice-Chairman); and

ii.)   the Development Manager arrange for a list of conditions applications submitted by Woking Borough Council and their companies/entities to be circulated to all Members on a regular basis.