Issue - meetings

This report sets out the background to local validation lists including what they are, the necessity for every local planning authority to have one and the importance of it being regularly reviewed, kept up to date and tailored to current local planning policy.

The national requirements for the content of a planning application are prescribed by legislation and are limited to a small number of documents and other supporting information which is mandatory. For this reason, legislation also enables local planning authorities to go further and supplement the national requirements with their own local requirements in the form of a ‘local validation list’ (sometimes referred to as a ‘local validation checklist’). Once a local validation list has been adopted and published it is legally binding; an applicant is then obliged to submit the information set out in the local validation list when the application is first submitted and if they do not, the council can refuse to validate the application until that information is provided.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)           The Local Validation Checklist be adopted; and

(b)           Minor variations to the Validation Checklist are delegated to the Director of Planning and Transport in consultation with the Head of Planning Operations and Head of Strategic Planning.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder:

Reason

1.      To put in place an up to date and enforceable local validation checklist to provide certainty for applicants and officers in the submission and processing of applications.

2.      To enable adaptations to the local validation checklist in light of changes in legislation/ policy and to remedy any unforeseen circumstances found during the operation of the checklist.

The Leader of the Council presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the report set out the background to local validation lists including what they are, the necessity for every local planning authority to have one and the importance of it being regularly reviewed, kept up to date and tailored to current local planning policy.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that the national requirements for the content of a planning application were prescribed by legislation and are limited to a small number of documents and other supporting information which is mandatory. For this reason, legislation also enables local planning authorities to go further and supplement the national requirements with their own local requirements in the form of a ‘local validation list’ (sometimes referred to as a ‘local validation checklist’).

In relation to this Cabinet was advised that once a local validation list had been adopted and published that it was legally binding; an applicant is then obliged to submit the information set out in the local validation list when the application is first submitted and if they do not, the council can refuse to validate the application until that information is provided.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)          The Local Validation Checklist be adopted; and

(b)          Minor variations to the Validation Checklist are delegated to the Director of Planning and Transport in consultation with the Head of Planning Operations and Head of Strategic Planning.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Leader of the Council

Reason

(1)           To put in place an up to date and enforceable local validation checklist to provide certainty for applicants and officers in the submission and processing of applications.

(2)           To enable adaptations to the local validation checklist in light of changes in legislation/ policy and to remedy any unforeseen circumstances found during the operation of the checklist.