Planning - involving the community

Last night there was a meeting at Ebley Mill - part of a series of meetings - to consider the new proposals for involving the community better in planning and also to share the government's plans for Sustainability Assessments - a potentially very useful tool for appraising policies to ensure they reflect sustainable development objectives (i.e. social, environmental and economic factors).

We have until 13th September to comment on the Statement of Community Involvement. To me this will bring some welcomed improvements - the planning system is very hard for people to get to grips with - a letter in this weeks' SNJ highlights a common misconception - they say the Council doesn't listen to voters when there were 14 letters objecting to a planning application.

Infact grounds for objection are largely set out by Government and the Local Plan - our job on Dev Control is to apply them - and generally this is not a matter for party politics - clearly there are areas of disagreement - but this application (recommended for approval by officers) was for permission for part of an agricultural footpath that involved minor excavation work. Most of the objections were on issues which, rightly or wrongly, are outside the control of that Dev Control meeting. I understand the Council's Enforcement Team are looking into the other issues.

I hope these new proposals re planning will lead to a greater understanding of planning issues - it is certainly no wonder confusions arise under the current system. Green party District councillors will be making comments to this consultation - keep an eye under 'Reports' on the Glos Green party website. If anyone is wanting advice re planning Stroud District Council's officers are the first point of call. I'll also list some other help below:

1. Stroud District Councils planning site - which includes online all planning applications:
http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/planning/planning_home.asp?did=planning

2. Planning Portal - the government's online service for planning - this has useful info about planning applications:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/

3. Planning Aid - provides free, independent and professional help, advice and support on planning issues to people and communities who cannot afford to hire a planning consultant. Planning Aid complements the work of local authorities but is wholly independent of them. More info at:
http://www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk/