Discussions are welcomed before an application is made so as to encourage high quality applications and to ensure they can be dealt with as efficiently as possible. An officer, or a member of the Planning Support team , is available during office hours to assist with the completion of application forms. If you wish to make an appointment with a Planning Officer, this should be direct with the officer so that you can explain your proposals and you can get an initial reaction. The advice given at all times is without prejudice to the ultimate decision on any formal application.

 

Once the Council has received your planning application, it is checked to ensure all the correct forms, certificates and plans have been submitted. If your application is complete, it should normally be registered within 5 working days. If it is incomplete or invalid, you (or your agent if you are using one) will normally be sent a letter saying what additional information is required, again normally within 5 working days.

 

Once the application is registered you, or your agent, will be sent an acknowledgement letter. This letter will also tell you about Extensions of Time. 

Whilst the Council will make every effort to deal with your application within the target period of 8 weeks it cannot be guaranteed, as will be explained later. The law says that we can agree to an extension of the time in which to deal with the application. 

 

The letter will tell you that unless you tell us to the contrary then we will assume that you are agreeable to an extension of time. The letter says also that if you inform the Council that you do not agree then at the end of 8 weeks if a decision has not been made then it is deemed to have been refused and you may appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Once the application is registered and valid a Case Officer is allocated to the application and the letter acknowledging receipt of your application will tell you:

 

 

The Case Officer is responsible for the professional appraisal of the application and the preparation of a report including a recommendation for decision. The Case Officer can provide details of the progress of the application.

The application is recorded in the planning register that the Council is required to keep and make available for inspection. A weekly list of applications received is sent to the local press, District Councillors, amenity societies. Copies of the application are put on public view at the Council Offices at Codsall or via www.sstaffs.gov.uk/planningfiles

 

To view recent weekly lists go to the PublicAccess and agree to the terms and conditions.  When the system loads simply click on 'weekly list' in the menu on the left.

 

Some applications are advertised in the local press and by site notices if they affect a listed building, the character of a conservation area, involve demolition in a conservation area, depart from the Council's Local Plan, have a substantial impact on an area or if they affect a public right of way. Notification letters are also sent to immediate neighbours. Copies of the applications are sent to Parish Councils and to other bodies such as County Highways, Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water and many others, for their comments.

 

The Case Officer will visit the site to make a site inspection within the first few weeks following registration. If access cannot be obtained when the visit is made he/she will leave a card asking you to contact him/her to make an appointment to enable the Officer to view the proposed development.

 

If as a result of the site visit, the result of replies to consultations or from the Case Officer's consideration of the application difficulties arise that can be overcome by amendments then we will contact you, or your agent, to discuss amendments to the application.

 

The Government expects the Council to deal with most applications within 8 weeks. Simple proposals can be processed fairly quickly, but more complex or controversial applications can take longer. Every effort is made to negotiate an acceptable scheme. If amended plans are required to overcome certain concerns or deficiencies, suggestions will be made.

 

It may be that such amendments require the submission of a revised application. If revised plans are submitted then it may be necessary to re-consult people. It is the Council's firm view that it is better to try to overcome difficulties and to negotiate with applicants, even though this may take longer, than to make quick decisions, which may be refusals, simply to stay within the Government's targets.

 

When the Case Officer has finished the consideration of the application a report and recommendation is prepared and given to the Development Control Manager for a decision to be made.

 

Decisions can either be delegated, whereby the Development Control Manager will make the decision, or they will be put to the Regulatory Committee for its decision. An application cannot be decided as a delegated decision if:

 

 

The Committee then has to consider the application and vote in order to reach a decision.

 

Decisions made by the Development Control Manager under Delegated powers can be viewed by going to PublicAccess.

 

In either case a decision will either be to grant planning permission, with or without conditions, or refuse it. Reasons have to be given for the conditions or for refusal. These are included on the decision notice, which is sent to the applicant, or the agent, after a decision has been made. A record of all decisions is put in the planning register. All consultees, the Parish Council and anyone who made comments is informed of the decision.

 

The Regulatory Committee is made up of all the Councillors.

 

After dealing with the minutes of the previous meeting, they go on to consider the planning applications.

 

Each planning application to be dealt with is listed on the agenda section and there is a report summarising the background of each application, its history and the comments of neighbours and anyone else interested in the proposal, the comments of the Head of Development and Building Control and a recommendation.

 

Although it may seem that some applications are dealt with quickly at the meeting, a lot of background work has gone on beforehand.

 

Before the meeting, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman goes through the applications and other reports with the Development Control Manager. In addition, local Councillors may have visited the application site.

 

At the meeting the committee members discuss each report in turn, asking the technical and legal officers for advice if necessary. They then vote.

 

Normally a decision to approve, with or without conditions, or to refuse is made there and then but occasionally it may be deferred. This sometimes happens if Councillors want more information about a proposal, or if they want to have a formal site visit themselves. In this case the application will usually be decided at the next meeting of the Committee, 3 weeks later.

 

Occasionally, an application is withdrawn from the meeting; this will be announced by the Chairman.

 

If there are any confidential matters to be discussed then at the end of the meeting the Committee may pass a resolution requiring members of the public and the press to leave so that the Councillors may discuss any confidential reports.

 

You can view the Regulatory Committee agenda, reports and recommendations and minutes by going to Regulatory Committee Agenda

 

If Councillors want to look further at a particular proposal, particularly if it is controversial, a decision will sometimes be deferred for a site visit by the members of the Committee.

 

If your application is affected then we will write to you telling you of the date and time of the site visit.

 

The site visit will be attended by several councillors, plus officers from the Development Control Section and if necessary officers from the Conservation, Environmental Health, or Highways.

 

The meeting on site gives Councillors an opportunity to look at the whole site and the issues, and for the proposals to be explained to them by the officers. Interested parties - including the applicant and objectors - can speak at the discretion of the Chairman.

 

The site visits usually take place during the day of the next scheduled Committee meeting. The recommendation is then referred back to that meeting of the Committee for a decision to be made.

 

The Council's technical and legal officers may also attend the Committee meeting to give the councillor's advice. A committee clerk takes the minutes.

 

As a member of the public you are welcome to attend the meeting to observe the proceedings.  introducing Public Speaking at Regulatory Committee was introduced on 13th July 2010 (Public Speaking at Planning Committees - A protocol) (Public Speaking at Regulatory Committee)

 

You can of course speak to one of your Ward Councillors or Parish Councillors about the application or issue you are interested in before the meeting, so that he or she could put forward your point of view to the Committee.

 

The Agenda and reports of the Regulatory Committee are always available online, or at the Council Offices 5 working days before the meeting; copies are also sent to all Parish Clerks. Spare copies are available in the Council Chamber before the meeting. 

 

Meetings of the Regulatory Committee take place every 3 weeks and the dates are shown by going to Regulatory Committee Dates.

 

Committee meetings are held in the Council Chamber of the Council Offices at Codsall at 6.30pm on Tuesdays on the dates as shown.

 

After the meeting the decision notices are prepared and attached to the application plans. Any decisions that are subject to legal agreements being made are held back until the legal work has been completed. The decision notices are sent out as soon as possible and usually within about 3 days after the Committee. 

 

The same thing happens with decisions made under delegated powers.

 

All consultees, Parish Councils and anyone who sent in comments are informed of the decision. A copy of the decision, and any agreements, is put in the Register.