Small number of objections to planning applications are “clogging up” Monmouthshire council’s workload

Planning applications which attract a small number of objections are “clogging up” a council’s workload, it has been claimed. 

Monmouthshire County Council’s policy is that applications which attract more than five objections should go before the planning committee to decide whether or not permission should be granted. 

Minor applications, and those in accordance with the council’s agreed planning policies which form part of its Local Development Plan, can usually be dealt with under what are known as “delegated powers” where the council’s professional officers make a decision by judging submitted plans against the policies. 

Individual councillors can also ask that applications in their local wards are decided by the planning committee. 

But Councillor Jayne McKenna told the most recent committee she was concerned at the number of applications the committee was being asked to decide which were below the threshold for it to make a decision. 

The Conservative councillor said she didn’t want any of her colleagues to “take offence” but complained the December committee had considered an application with only two objections and another with just the one. 

The councillor for Mitchel Troy and Trellech said: “My personal opinion is we should be respectfully reminding members they need to strongly consider whether they wish to put an application before the committee when resources are stretched. 

“It takes up officer time and are clogging up the system.” 

The national target is that a decision on planning permission is determined within eight weeks of the application being validated by the planning department. 

The planning service’s recent annual report showed that in 2021/22 it determined all major applications within the eight weeks, or the agreed timescales. 

Despite the service having suffered the loss of some staff, and having to recruit new members, it also determined 81 per cent of all applications within the eight weeks, or the agreed timescale, which was judged to be a “reasonable” performance. 

The council also approved 97 per cent of all applications and 100 per cent of those which went through the council’s pre-application advice service were approved. 

Of the 10 refusals which were appealed the council’s decision was also upheld by the independent inspector in seven cases. 

The planning enforcement team, which had been reduced due to sickness and staff leaving, has also been “fully resourced” with three investigating officers, and a manager, in place since March. The council will retain a target to boost enforcement performance which was flagged as in need of improvement in the previous review.