Committee details

9 June 2020

Waverley Borough Council has established two new temporary planning committees to carry out the functions of the Joint Planning Committee and four Area Planning Committees whilst meeting arrangements and council resources are impacted by the Covid-19 emergency restrictions.

The new WESTERN and EASTERN Planning Committees will consider planning applications within their geographical area that previously would have been considered by the Joint Planning Committee. Details of these committees are available in the list of Waverley Committees.

The role of the Joint Planning Committee as distinct from the Area Planning Committees is to consider applications or issues referred to it for the following reasons:-

a.         To make decisions on the administrative and procedural matters affecting the processing of applications. E.g. report formats, information specifications etc.

b.         To review all housing schemes which propose a net increase of more than 25 dwellings, where the recommendation is for permission to be granted;

c.         To consider applications defined as major, as defined by the Government (10 or more units of residential accommodation, more than 1,000 sqm commercial floorspace and site area of more than 1 hectare) and which, in the judgement of the Executive Director, after consultation with the Head of Planning and the appropriate Area Planning Committee Chairman, meet the following criteria

i.          have a significant planning impact beyond the Area in which they are situated, and/or

ii.         are of strategic importance, and/or

iii.        involve new planning issues for the Borough; or

d.         Where within three weeks of the application appearing on the Waverley weekly list of planning applications, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the relevant Area Planning Committee and the ward member request that it be referred to the Joint Planning Committee and put forward relevant grounds as set out in c (i) to (iii) above, the Executive Director and Head of Planning will normally submit the application to the Joint Planning Committee.

Where apologies for absence are received, a substitute from the same Area Planning Committee and political party will be arranged where possible.

Public speaking scheme for Planning meetings.