Council issues planning decision action plan in response to designation
Chorley Council has approved an action plan to improve its decision-making processes on planning applications following the Government's decision last year to issue a notice of designation over the number of refusals the council was handing out.
In December 2023, the then Secretary of State, Michael Gove, announced that the council had been designated in relation to its performance on deciding major planning applications.
Gove said the authority's Planning Committee had refused too many major applications, falling above the Government's 10% threshold.
The designation means that developers can bypass the council and apply to the Planning Inspectorate to decide their planning application.
The action plan is a requirement of the designation and identifies areas of improvement.
The plan commits the council to progressing its out-of-date development plan, recording the council's quality of decision-making on major applications, and ensuring that senior officers monitor planning appeal decisions monthly.
It also sets out objectives to review the council's pre-application service to increase the opportunity for member involvement, provide more member training, and to work on briefing members on major applications prior to committee sessions.
The document will now be sent to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for approval ahead of implementation.
The council hopes the designation will be lifted once the Government releases its next set of statistics on performance.
The leader of the council, Cllr Alistair Bradley, said: "We were utterly appalled by the decision to designate Chorley for standing up against speculative and unplanned developments.
"The council, with the support from the MP for Chorley, time and time again tried to highlight the issues Chorley is facing when it comes to planning, and to make it clear how the former government's changes to the planning rules had a negative effect on our communities."
He noted that to date, no applicant has chosen to bypas the council's planning sytem, "demonstrating that the designation is merely something of a hollow threat".
He later added: "While we are steadfast in our condemnation of the designation and have full confidence in our Planning Committee's decision making, the action planning process is a requirement to get back to normal.
"I truly hope that Government, on receipt of the action plan can consider the full picture for Chorley and lift the designation as swiftly as it imposed it."
Adam Carey
