Issue - meetings

To inform Members of planning enforcement performance for the last quarter and service issues.

The Officer presented the report to advise the Committee on planning enforcement work over the last quarter and service issues.  The report acknowledged that planning enforcement was a key service for the delivery of the Council’s Unitary Development Plan and had an important role for the Greenest Borough Strategy. 

The Committee was asked to note the excellent progress made in reducing the number of open cases, older cases reflected the more complex cases that required further formal action.  A small number of cases had been prosecuted but not resulted in compliance.  In terms of recruitment there was an expectation that the last post would be filled by the end of June 2009.

Planning Enforcement had continued to make improvements to the standard of service provided.  The current caseload was 425, including 54 cases remaining open for 2009/10.  Enforcement activity was considered to have a high level of notice action and prosecution.  Appeals were also significant and largely related to a programme of work to address conservation breaches in Myddleton Road.

In relation to service update the Committee were advised that in 2008/09 the service had received 1052 complaints a 50% increase on 2006/07 and the highest levels since records began in 2001. 

The Committee acknowledge the work accomplished to date however, felt there was still work to be done particularly in Highgate Ward.   Members were requested to engage with the service in order to make Highgate a priority in terms of dealing with complaints.  In response to a question raised the Committee was advised that to adminster a caution against a perpetrator, the service had to commence legal proceedings.  One of the main objectives of the Planning Enforcement Service was to achieve compliance.  The Committee requested that in future complaints should be referred to as ‘service requests’ because complaints could be interpreted as complaints against the service  the officers acknowledged the comment.

RESOLVED

That the Committee noted the continued success of the service in delivering strong enforcement activity; reduced open caseloads, successful recruitment and service improvement.