Agenda item

Report by Service Director for Economy and Enterprise

Councillor Brady, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Housing presented the proposed Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for Cabinet’s consideration and approval for the purposes of recommending the document to Council.

The SCI was a statutory document which set out how the Council would involve the community when preparing planning policy and determining planning applications in Wiltshire. The SCI had been prepared in accordance with Regulations and national planning policy and had been informed by a pre-draft consultation with statutory consultees.

Councillor Brady drew attention to the following amendments which were tabled:

• Paragraph 2.15 – Community area Boards - had been reworded in the interests of clarity and accuracy. 
• A new paragraph on Vision Boards was to be inserted after paragraph 2.17 to clarify the role of the Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury Vision Boards.
• Additional text on public speaking at planning meetings was inserted after paragraph 5.24 and reference to the Killian Pretty Review to cross-reference to the Council’s Planning Code of Good Practice for Councillors and Site Visit Protocol.

During debate on this item, the following amendments were also made to the document:

• Paragraph 2.4 of the draft SCI – to add the Fire and Rescue Service in the list of consultees.

• Paragraph 2.16 of the draft SCI to be reworded in respect of community area partnerships to clarify that they would have a role in planning policy issues but not individual planning applications.

• Paragraph 2.18 to delete the following text in the penultimate paragraph:

‘alongside the community area boards and community area partnerships.’

• That definitions of ‘loss of outlook’ and ‘loss of private view’ in the table following paragraph 5.11 of the draft SCI be included.

• The wording ‘in most cases’ in bullet point 6 under the second heading in the table following paragraph 5.11 of the draft SCI be changed to ‘other than in exceptional cases’.

• That the second heading in the table following paragraph 5.11 be reworded for clarity.

• The time period for re-consultation mentioned in paragraph 5.13 of the draft SCI be changed from ‘usually for 14 days’ to usually 21 days’.

That Officers be asked to explore the following:

• In respect of the advertising of planning applications on site a request was made that, in addition to the statutory notifications, an estate agents type sign be placed on the application site making it clearly visible to those affected by development proposed.

Officers undertook to look into this possibility, bearing in mind expected Government guidelines.

• That consultations exclude critical holiday periods such as school summer holidays and if possible, school Christmas holiday periods.

At the request of Cabinet, Councillor Brady agreed to circulate the SCI as amended to Cabinet members before presentation to Council.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

i)                    Approves the content of the Wiltshire Council Statement of Community Involvement subject to the above amendments;

ii)                  Authorises the Service Director for Economy and Enterprise, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Housing, to make amendments to the document as agreed by Cabinet and any incidental changes; and

iii)                That following adoption by Council, a seminar on the Statement of Community Involvement be arranged for all Councillors at the end of May/beginning of June.

Recommended to Council:

That Council:

Formally adopt the Statement of Community Involvement as amended.

Reason for Decision

To ensure that Wiltshire Council has a Statement of Community Involvement in place in order to provide a clear set of consultation procedures for Local Development documents and planning applications across the County.