Issue - meetings

To consider adoption of the updated Local Planning Enforcement Policy.

The Committee considered a report recommending adoption of the updated Local Planning Enforcement Policy.

The Planning Enforcement Officer gave a presentation on the policy (attached) and explained that updates to the policy had been made in response to a recommendation from counsel. Updates applied to section ten which outlined considerations that should be taken prior to enforcement action. The officer also provided a chart outlining the breaches since 2018, and explained new categories for breaches had been created recently.

The Committee expressed concern over the number of notices issued, and the officer explained that notices issued were not an indication of success as the authority sought to negotiate to rectify breaches before issuing notices. The Committee also sought information on whether the authority was proactive in seeking breaches, and the officers explained that at this time, the authority was reactive to breaches.

The Committee recommended that future policy updates draw out the impact of the policy on sustainability and climate change.

The Committee resolved to adopt the updated Local Planning Enforcement Policy.