Colchester Borough Council is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to take action to minimise disruption and keep residents and visitors safe.
Coronavirus: updates, advice and guidance
Planning Committee suspended – Interim arrangements
1. Formal meetings of the committee will be cancelled until further notice. This will be kept under review in line with the Government’s emergency legislation which may change the way in which we can conduct formal meetings.
2. All applications that are required to be considered by the Planning Committee will now be determined by the Planning & Housing Manager following consideration and recommendation by the Chair and Group Spokespersons of the Planning Committee; i.e Councillors Liddy , Hazel, Barton & P Oxford (“the Members”)
3. Applications will be emailed to the Members who will consider the reports and decide them on a majority decision with the chair having a second and casting vote. The Members will have the option of deferring an application if they feel they require further information.
4. A record of all decisions will be maintained and if any decisions are contrary to the recommended decision in the report, reasoning must be provided.
5. Any Councillor who has requested that an application be called in will be afforded the opportunity to submit a written submission by email to the Members who will consider the submission when determining the application.
6. A report will be submitted to the first formal meeting of the Planning Committee (howsoever formed) which will detail the applications and decisions made in relation to all applications considered under these Interim Arrangements.
A decision will need to taken on any application to be decided under these Interim Arrangements where there is particular public interest. This may include deferring the application to a later date etc. This will need to be taken on an individual application basis.
These Interim Arrangements will be used for as short as period as possible and are designed to ensure that the Council’s planning decision process can be maintained during the current national situation. The Monitoring Officer will keep them under review and adjustments may be made as necessary and expedient in consultation with the Group Leaders and Chair of Planning Committee.
