Questions from members
The Chairman to respond to any questions received from Members in accordance with Procedure Rule 11. The deadline for submission of written questions for this meeting is Tuesday 19 March 2024.
The following two questions from Cllr Hesse are included here. Cllr White has agreed to put these questions to the committee, as Cllr Hesse has given his apologies for this meeting.
1. “Will the Head of Planning and Economic Development take steps to ensure that planning drawings that are submitted, either by owners, developers or agents, that have inadequate detail, missing elevations, no title bar with drawing number, date and issuers details and no information such as notes or flags or hatching to show removal of heritage features, eg the door on the front elevation of The Bishops Table Hotel, West Street, Farnham, which is a listed Heritage building of note, are NOT validated but returned for further details or information?
(This will hopefully avoid plans being approved due to plans lacking detail being submitted by opportunistic applicants).
2. Would the Head of Planning and Economic Development also provide information to the committee as to what steps are being considered or have been taken to strengthen the Waverley Conservation and Historic buildings team?
The lack of resource in this department was flagged up at the O&S November meeting.”
Minutes:
51.1 Two questions were submitted by Cllr George Hesse and read at the meeting:
“Will the Head of Planning and Economic Development take steps to ensure that planning drawings that are submitted, either by owners, developers or agents, that have inadequate detail, missing elevations, no title bar with drawing number, date and issuers details and no information such as notes or flags or hatching to show removal of heritage features, e.g. the door on the front elevation of The Bishops Table Hotel, West Street, Farnham, which is a listed Heritage building of note, are NOT validated but returned for further details or information?
(This will hopefully avoid plans being approved due to plans lacking detail being submitted by opportunistic applicants).
Would the Head of Planning and Economic Development also provide information to the committee as to what steps are being considered or have been taken to strengthen the Waverley Conservation and Historic buildings team?
The lack of resource in this department was flagged up at the O&S November meeting”
51.2 The Executive Head of Planning Development stated that the Planning team were attending to this and that a Service Improvement Group is being established to consider technical and admin support. This is intended to ensure that the team’s reports maintain the highest degree of accuracy and make any identifiable improvements where required.
51.3 The Executive Head of Planning Development clarified the importance of adequate staff resourcing, as well as that of supporting conservation objectives through providing suitable advice.
51.4 Members queried whether policy was enforced with sufficient rigidity[JC1] , citing examples such as the borough’s shopfront guides. Officers noted that the upcoming Local Plan update will provide an opportunity to review the wording of certain policies, and that Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) will soon be replaced by work on Design Codes[JC2] , under which some of these areas will now fall.