Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director – Planning and Development

Purpose of report

This report presents the outcomes from Veritau’s fact-finding review into the circumstances surrounding the handling of the Rutten Lane planning application and subsequent appeal.

It also provides the committee with information on the Development Management service’s draft action plan, which has been prepared in response to Veritau’s review and to a separate lessons learned exercise carried out by the service. 

While this report is public, the three appendices have been exempted. This is on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006). In addition, both exempt appendices 2 and 3 are working drafts. This includes an action plan for the management of strategic planning applications which will be developed further with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development.

Recommendations

The Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee resolves to:

1.1           Note the findings and conclusions from Veritau’s fact-finding review, which have been summarised in this report and included in full in exempt appendix 1.

1.2           Note that a strategic planning applications action plan (exempt appendix 2) has been drafted by the council’s Development Management service to help manage delivery of the identified improvements, and that this will be finalised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development Management.

Resolved

(1)            That the findings and conclusions from Veritau’s fact-finding review (summarised in the public report and included in full in exempt appendix 1) be noted.

(2)            That it be noted that a strategic planning applications action plan (exempt appendix 2) had been drafted by the council’s Development Management service to help manage delivery of the identified improvements and that this would  be finalised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development Management.

The Assistant Director of Planning and Development submitted a report with exempt appendices which presented the outcomes of the Veritau fact finding report surrounding the handling of the Rutten Lane planning application and subsequent appeal.  The exempt appendices also provided the Committee with information on the Development Management service’s draft action plan, which had been prepared in response to Veritau’s review and to a separate lessons learned exercise carried out by the service.

It was proposed by Councillor Lytton and seconded by Councillor Rogers that the meeting move into private session to consider the exempt appendices to the report.