Issue - meetings

To review planning enforcement current performance.

The Assistant Director, Enforcement Services presented the report by advising the Committee that Enforcement Services started at the end of 2003 and that he had taken over Planning Enforcement in early 2004.

The report detailed the following:

·        A breakdown of the activity on a number of cases since 2002.

·        Details of the closures activities.

·        Analysis of the types of enforcement work carried out.

·        Analysis of the work on enforcement appeals.

·        Achievements on work on HMO’s, Tower Gardens and Conservation issues; wardens and estate activities, fly posting, public eyesores programme which operates through the better Haringey programme.

·        Work around Licensing and the 2003 Licensing Act.

·        General Improvements in the levels of work.

In point 5.1 of the report Members were advised there had been a 72% increase in case closures and 1432 had been resolved.  10% of the cases went back as far as 2001.  Therefore the Committee was asked to draw a line and close old cases registered before the end of December 2003.

The majority of complaints received were about house conversions (20%), followed by development extensions (15%) and departure from approved plans.  The report sets out considerable effort in resolving outstanding cases, to move forward with agreement to close old cases and to be able to then concentrate on priorities for seeking remedial actions.

Members raised the following concerns:

1.            That complainants should be informed when a case is closed.

2.            That when enforcement action is commenced it should continue until resolved.

3.            That a further report be provided detailing the complaints to be closed  by ward.

RESOLVED

That the decision to agree the recommendations be deferred pending receipt of a further detailed report on the complaints to be closed by ward.