ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE
TUESDAY 18 JANUARY 2005
Officer: Chris Hougham, Development Control Manager
Tel: (01983) 823567
To provide members of Development
Control Committee with a resume of the above publication and make a comparison
with our own performance.
Members of this Committee will
appreciate the significance of performance statistics largely encapsulated BVPI
109 (a) (b) and (c) in terms of how we handle planning applications and how
this information was used by the Audit Commission as an integral part of the
recent Best Value Report and how the information continues to be used by the
ODPM in terms of calculating Planning Delivery Grant (PDG).
This report is for information
purposes only.
Development Control Statistics:
England 2003/04 is published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and essentially offers a detailed
statistical analysis of development control performance for every authority in
the country.
As a Unitary Authority we have a
specific interest in three areas.
In general terms members are advised
that in England 675,000 planning applications were submitted in 2003/4 and
during the same period 626,000 were determined. ODPM advises that this is the
highest number of submissions for fourteen years and represents a 6% increase
on the number of applications submitted in 2002/03
Notwithstanding this increase in
workload 73% of all applications were dealt with in eight weeks. This
represents a 7% improvement on 2002/03.
The time taken to decide a planning application begins from the date that a valid application is received by The Local Planning Authority together with the correct fee (where a fee is payable) and ends on the date that the decision notice is dispatched.
For various reasons the percentage of applications which are approved has gone down when compared with previous years and in 2003/04 84% of applications decided were approved. In terms of the 16% of planning applications which were refused less than one in four of these resulted in a planning appeal. Nevertheless the Planning Inspectorate still had to handle 22,500 appeals. Of these 33% were successful (i.e. allowed) which put another way means that the national average for a Council’s “success rate” is that they win two out of three of all appeals.
Members will know that Local Planning Authority’s have discretionary powers to take enforcement action if, in their view, there is an unacceptable breach of planning control and the ODPM has statistics on formal enforcement action taken by local authorities and appeals against those enforcement notices. Last year 4,600 enforcement notices were issued and served and 50% of these resulted in an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate and of those 74% were upheld. (i.e. dismissed).
Members familiar with BVPI 109 will know that there are three specific categories and that each category has its own government target figure in terms of overall performance.
· To determine 60% of Major Applications within thirteen weeks
· To determine 65% of Minor Applications within eight weeks
· To determine 80% of Other Applications within eight weeks
In terms for handling Major Applications 34% of Planning Authority’s now determine 60% or more within the thirteen weeks. On Minor Applications the figure is 43% of Authority’s determining 65% or more in eight weeks and on Other Applications the figure is 49% who are achieving 80% or more in eight weeks.
In the attachment with this report there is a comparison prepared by the Development Control Manager based on the national statistics with our overall performance for 2003/04.
OPTIONS
That the report be noted
CONCLUSIONS
Statistical analysis of the performance in terms of providing the regulatory planning function of development control is becoming an increasingly important factor and can prove to be decisive in terms of performance assessment and a calculation of grant aid. Therefore it is appropriate that due weight and consideration be given to the information contained in the report recently published by the ODPM summarised in this report and the attachment.
Quite clearly
a comparison in terms of the overall eight week figure and performance in terms
of handling a Major, Minor and Other Applications shows that we are not in the
top quartile and in 2003/04 we failed to achieve the three relevant BVPIs,
although it has to be taken into account that only 34% of Authorities achieving
BVPI 109 (a) and less than 50% of Authorities are achieving either BVPI 109 (b)
or (c). We were within 0.3% of achieving
BVPI 109 (a).
Members will note that there has been a significant increase in numbers of applications throughout the country. However the regional (i.e. GOSE) increase was only 3%; the national increase was 6% but our increase on the island was more than 9%. We are projecting an even higher increase in the current financial year.
In terms of handling planning applications there are two local factors that would appear to be significantly different from the various aggregates, averages and statistics which feature in the ODPM report.
· Nationally 84% of all planning applications are approved and this figure is down when compared with previous years. Locally the figure is below 78% which is a significant difference. This higher “refusal rate” has been identified in previous statistics and is being carefully monitored at this moment in time.
· Nationally 53% of all submissions are Householder Applications whereas on the Island only 37.5% of the applications we receive are for householder development. This is a very significant difference. And by implication it means that the majority of Authorities are receiving more applications of a type which are normally straightforward and easier to determine. Members will know that we have established a Householder Team and that currently we are determining 92% of Householder Applications within eight weeks which is the principle contributory factor for our improvement under BVPI 109 (c).
In terms of handling appeals our success rate in 2003/04 was extremely good and above the national average and, in all probability, is now within the top quartile as we are now achieving a dismissal rate of between 85 and 90%.
In terms of enforcement the statistics indicate that we have been more “active” than many other Authorities, particularly our near neighbours in Hampshire, and that we have made extensive use of the Breach of Condition Notice under the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.
Overall while the figures in terms of handling planning applications are disappointing when compared with the national average and the BVPI targets it is encouraging to reflect that despite the increased workload and a largely inexperienced team that our performance is improving in all three key areas and at this moment in time we are likely to achieve BVPI 109 (b) and very likely to achieve BVPI 109 (c) in 2004/05.
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RECOMMENDATION That the report be noted. |
ANDREW ASHCROFT
Head of Planning Services