Cabinet Member for Planning to attend to respond to questions from the panel.
Minutes:
5.1 The Cabinet Member for Planning attended to respond to questions from the panel relating to his portfolio of services. A summary of the main areas of questioning are presented below.
5.2 The panel discussed the number of agency and temporary staff within the planning service, where it was perceived that the high levels of such staff reduced the responsiveness of the service to the public and members alike. It was noted that given the high levels of planned development across the capital, there was a significant demand for experienced planning officers and that many other services were finding it hard to recruit and retain suitably qualified staff.
5.3 It was noted that there were plans to restructure the planning service over the coming months although such plans were in an early stage, and that consultation with Unions was planned. Until such preliminary consultations had been undertaken it would be difficult to share these plans with the panel at present.
Agreed: That a briefing for plans to restructure the Planning Service would be provide to the panel (once formal consultation with staff and Unions had taken place) and would include objectives of reorganisation, timescales for delivery and special reference to the use of agency and other temporary staff.
5.4 The panel noted that the quality of experiences with planning staff varied, yet there was no mechanism to feedback either good or bad reports. It was reported that members should feedback their experience, good or bad, directly to the Assistant Director. It should be borne in mind however, that staff within the service have experienced a significant increase in workloads and are under pressure.
5.5 Within a broader discussion of planning service recruitment it was noted that almost half of planning schools had closed and that there were not enough planning officers graduating, which was contributing to recruitment pressures. Planning services were therefore having to recruit from other non-traditional areas with similar skill sets. It was felt that the current job descriptions were not helpful in that they were too rigid and prescriptive to accommodate a wider recruitment policy.
Cabinet member – verbal update
5.6 The Cabinet member provided an update on key issues within his portfolio.
· Selective Licensing: it was noted that similar proposals in Enfield had been successfully challenged in respect of the consultation undertaken. It was also suggested that Newham may also be subject to further legal challenge. This underlined the need to develop the evidence base in Haringey to make a strong case for its implementation and to learn from other boroughs.
· Transport Strategy: The current strategy is 14 years old and needs to be updated, particularly as there is no walking, cycling or public transport strategy within it. This will take time to develop the evidence base and to present to Cabinet for approval (probably in July 2015).
Agreed: details of the Transport Strategy would be presented to scrutiny (Environment & Community Safety)
· Neighbourhood Plans: these are continuing to be developed and officers are working with key local stakeholders to develop these.
· Development Management: A number of site development plans were at the pre-application stage and were moving forward these included Alexander Palace, Tottenham Regeneration and Highgate Magistrates Court.
· Fees and Charges: a new structure for planning fees and charged would be considered by Cabinet in February. A new paid for advice service would be introduced which it was hoped would reduce the failure rate of small developments. It is hoped that this would also increase the timeliness, quality and effectiveness of advice provided.
· Enforcement: it was acknowledged that there is an officer shortage as one officer has been moved to Industrial Living Project. It was acknowledged that there is the potential to train and up-skill community members and stakeholders in respect of some aspects of enforcement processes.
5.7 The panel raised concerns about the number of planning applications that had to be withdrawn because these had not been set up correctly by planning officers, in some instances, applications had progressed to consultation and responses had been received. It was noted that the service is providing support to developers and that new fees and charges structure will improve the quality and accountability of advice.
5.8 It was noted that a report on Public Rights of Way would be published in the near future setting out the accessibility of walking routes across the borough.
5.9 The panel raised concerns about the level of staffing support in Planning Conservation and whether additional resources could be placed within this aspect of the planning service. It was noted that although no additional staff could be provided at this time, a new independent Chair had been appointed to the Design Review Panel, a service which would be cost neutral. It is anticipated that this will contribute to the overall quality of schemes being brought forward and funded through fees and charges.
5.10 The Chair thanked the Cabinet member and Assistant Director for Planning for attending the meeting.