Subject to providing two working days’ notice, a Member of the Committee may ask the Chairman of the Committee a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the Tendring District and which falls within the terms of reference of the Committee.
Minutes:
Councillor Baker asked the Chairman of the Planning Committee (Councillor White):-
“As the Chairman of the Planning Committee has a standing invitation to attend meetings of the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee and to express the Planning Committee’s views and comments on any report items that are being considered by the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee (under Council Procedure Rule 36.1), would the Chairman agree that this Planning Committee has not previously discussed, or made any comments about any upcoming items on the Agendas of the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee, and that in future this should be included as an item on the Planning Committee’s monthly Agenda, in order that any views from members of the Planning Committee, on upcoming items on the Agendas of the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee, can be discussed, debated and a collective view, if any, be presented by the Planning Committee Chairman on behalf of this Committee?”
Councillor White replied as follows:-
“Thank you for your question Councillor Baker. Councillor Turner, the Chairman of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee kindly introduced the opportunity for myself, as Chairman of the Planning Committee to comment on behalf of our Committee on matters relating to planning policy on its agenda. Councillor Turner has been keen to ensure an opportunity for input from ourselves as the Committee charged with implementing such policies that they may have drawn up specifically when it comes to determining planning applications, and we welcome that.
I do acknowledge Councillor Baker’s suggestion and completely understand the reason for it. However, I am reluctant to agree to the inclusion of a standing item on the monthly Planning Committee agenda to discuss forthcoming business for the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee especially as it would be taken in public.
Firstly, we run the risk of duplicating the work of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee if we start having potentially lengthy discussions on matters over which Councillor Turner and his Committee has jurisdiction.
Secondly, I believe this Committee’s time at these meetings is best served by firmly focussing on the determination of planning applications and other matters for which this Committee has the responsibility. As we know, the agendas for our meetings can on occasion be very long and the applications we consider often carry with them significant public interest and a huge investment in time and effort from the applicants, their agents and indeed our Officers.
I would not want to run the risk of curtailing the length or the quality of debate on planning applications to make time for discussion on matters that are the responsibility of another Committee.
However, instead, I would suggest that we ask our Director of Planning, Mr. Guiver, to advise us of the publication of reports of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee and invite comments by way of an email, which can be coordinated by Mr. Guiver and therefore reported to that Committee by way of an update sheet. I hope that goes part way to answering Councillor Baker’s point.”