Issue - meetings

To update the Committee on the progress of the planning enforcement project.

The Officer presented his report and updated the Committee on the current progress of the project.  The project started in January 2007 and had been running for nine months to reduce the historical backlog of planning enforcement open cases and enable an improvement in the planning enforcement performance.  The project was currently funded by salary under spends across the business unit. 

The Committee was informed that in order to better manage the open cases the project was broken into three phases.  At the start of the project there were 1531 open cases.  At the end of October 2007 there were a reported 711 open cases.

Stage one was to close cases immediately where work was carried out over four years previous.  There were cases which went back as far as 2001.  In the first stage of the project 489 cases were deemed to fall within the four year rule, 311 were closed as immune and 178 cases required further enforcement investigation.

Stage two addressed cases received from 2004-06.  There were 1036 cases received, 437 were closed and 559 remained open as a result of carrying out visits, retaining sanctions, negotiations and other aspects of enforcement.  When the report was produced there had been 820 cases closed to date the remaining 711 open cases required a degree of enforcement action. 

Stage three dealt with the remaining cases and regular cases received on a daily basis.  There were 759 new complaints received from January 2007 to November 2007, 458 were closed and 301 remained open.  These cases were being reviewed and would be dealt with in order of priority.  Firstly dealing with Article 4 areas or cases in Conservation Areas.  Of the 711 remaining open cases it was envisaged that at least half could be resolved by December 2007.

Further restructuring of the Enforcement Service was being undertaken and a further report would be brought back to the Committee in January 2008.

RESOLVED

That a further report be brought back to the Planning Committee in January 2008.