The City Council's Development Control service has the responsibility for the processing of planning applications. At present the service considers about 1700 applications a year. The majority of decisions on planning applications are made by Officers under delegated powers. Where there are objections lodged to relatively minor proposals Officers may consult with Councillors before making a decision. Applications for either major or contentious proposals are decided by the Council's Planning Committee. The Committee meets once every four weeks on a Tuesday at 6.00 p.m. in Committee Room No. 1, North Warehouse, The Docks.
For more information on planning applications and related issues please click on the links below.
PLEASE NOTE
NOTICE OF CHANGES TO PLANNING LEGISLATION
Amendments to Planning Permissions
Extending the Time Limits of Planning Permissions
Changes to the procedures for considering amendments to planning permissions and extending the time limit of existing planning permissions were introduced on 1st October 2009 by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment No.3) (England) Order 2009. A copy of the full legislation can be downloaded from www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/uksi_20092261_en_1| .
These changes will have implications for how proposals are considered by local planning authorities and are summarised below. However, please note that not all the changes have been formally introduced and as such there may be some amendments prior to it being introduced.
If you have any queries please contact the Development Control team on 01452 396013.
Minor Material Changes to Planning Permissions
If an applicant wishes to make more significant changes to a planning permission, for example substituting house types, an application for planning permission under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 can now be made. A minor material amendment is one whose scale and nature results in a development which is not substantially different from the one which has been approved.”
Such an application need not include all the information required for a normal planning application and as the principle of the development is not for reconsideration this should simplify the determination process. The fee for such an application is £150 for householder and £170 for all other application types.
In order to facilitate the use of s.73 to make minor material amendments, planning permissions should generally impose a condition listing the approved plans (although changes may be sought in relation to any condition).
Who is consulted will be at the discretion of the local planning authority.
Non Material Changes to Planning Permissions
Gloucester City Council has previously given written approval for minor changes to existing permissions. The new legislation introduces a formal procedure for doing this. From 1st October, under new s.96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, if a small change such as repositioning a window or door is required the applicant will need to submit an application form with the appropriate level of details. It should be noted that there is a no statutory definition of what a constitutes a ‘non-material’.
The applicant must also give notice to any person (other than the applicant) who is an owner of the land to which the application relates or a tenant of an agricultural holding any part of which is comprised in the land to which the application relates, stating:-
(a) what the application is for and where the person can view a copy of it; and
(b) Public consultation is discretionary. Any representations about the application must be made to the local planning authority within 14 days of the date when the notice is given.
The Council then has 28 days to determine the request. Design and Access statements, publicity and consultation will not be required for such an application.
Extending the Time Limits of Planning Applications
From 1st October It will be possible for existing planning permissions to be replaced before they expire, in order to allow a longer period for implementation (although the previous permission will not be revoked, rather a new permission granted subject to a new time limit). There will be no requirement to submit a design and access statement or plans. The exact requirements will be set out in the standard application form. The anticipated fees are: £500 for major developments, £170 for minor developments and £50 for householder developments. The ability to extend the time limit will only apply to extant permissions granted on or before the 1st Oct 2009 and only one extension of time will be permitted. The Council will have discretion to refuse the extension and require a new application instead.
New forms for applications for extension of time limits and non-material amendments can be downloaded from the Planning Portal website.
September 2009
Last Updated 15/10/2008