Issue - meetings

To report on the review and to consider the findings (report of the Principal Planning Officer enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Planning which reported on the Review of Implemented Planning Decisions and asked the Panel to consider the findings.

The Principal Planning Officer introduced the report which included a background to the review of implemented planning decisions; an overview of the tour; and the main conclusions drawn from the tour. 

A summary of the comments from members during the tour were included at Appendix A.  Two recurring observations from the day were:

• a lack of attention to design detail; and
• clear concerns around the management and maintenance of public areas such as open space and incidental areas of landscaping.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Officers were thanked for arranging and leading on the tour;
• the tour was undertaken on a wet day and flooding on hardstanding areas was clearly apparent; in some cases, drains were sitting proud of the roads;
• the experience of some developments deemed ‘over-density’ on plans, felt open;
• members noted that play areas had been identified as an area for improvement. Play areas needed to be adequate for the estate in which they were situated: in some cases play areas had not been installed and in others, improvements were required; it was noted that most of the concerns raised would be the responsibility of the management company of the development;
  • The Planning Officer had investigated the play area that was not delivered and a subsequent planning application had agreed that the play area would not be installed due to anti-sociable behaviour concerns raised by residents;
• members were disappointed that meter boxes had not always been installed on the side of buildings; and
• attenuation ponds and berms were not given due attention at development stage and were either unattractive or not functioning as expected.

AGREED:

a)       That the report on the Review of Implemented Planning Decisions be presented to the Planning Committee; and

b)    That the comments of the Panel be noted.