Team to tackle anger over Shropshire planning system

That was the way it worked when this picture was taken nearly 50 years ago.

But the system does not work like that any more, and increasingly decisions are being taken behind closed doors by unelected council officers.

And a growing number of people are becoming increasingly unhappy about it.

Critics say the trend for major major building projects to be passed by officers without any public debate is "undemocratic".

Now Shropshire Council has sprung into action, setting up "task and finish" team to look at such objections.

Shropshire Council has three committees - one for the north of the county, one for the south and one for central Shropshire.

The committees are made up of elected councillors from each area, who can debate whether to pass or refuse everything from new supermarkets to household extensions.

Such committees have to meet in public, but as things stand only six percent of applications go before them.

The other 94 percent of decisions are delegated instead to council staff behind closed doors - and they simply follow policy to decide whether to allow or reject applications.

It wasn't always the case - the new powers for officers came in fairly recently following sweeping cuts at Shropshire Council and changes to national policy under the coalition government.

Craven Arms councillor David Evans, who chairs the south planning committee, said: "It's to do with cut backs - it takes time for officers to put together reports with every detail in it to be debated by committee members.

"If someone just needs to build a garage on their house it doesn't need to go before a committee.

"It is only the most controversial applications that are seen. But any Shropshire Council member can call an application in to be seen by the committee."

However, recently some have raised concerns that that is not happening as much as it should.

Among those raising concerns has been Oswestry Town Council, which called for a review after plans for an Aldi supermarket in the town were given the go-ahead by unelected officers, despite objections suggesting the scheme should have a full planning committee debate.

The supermarket plan saw the demolition of a 200-year-old toll house, making it even more contentious.

Town councillors called the decision "undemocratic" and have written to Greg Clark MP, the minister for communities and local government.

Similar criticism followed a recent Shropshire Council decision to allow 25 homes off Roden Grove in Wem - again passed by officers without input from the elected north planning committee.

Protesters took to Shirehall over the decision, but Shropshire Council has defended it, saying the scheme was considered twice by principal planning officers, who did consult with the chairman and vice-chairman of the committee, and all agreed it did not need to go to a full debate.

Earlier in the year, in Shrewsbury, nearly 150 homes, including 69 "extra care" properties, were passed by officers despite 10 objections - including from Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury Civic Society - raising concerns about traffic and the pressure on local services in such as schools in the Greenfields area of town.

In the south there has not been such a major outcry over an officer-passed development, but south planning committee member Andy Boddington said such things should not happen anywhere.

He said it was fine for 94 percent of proposals to be delegated, as major applications only made up about five percent anyway - but what was concerning was the major nature of some of the plans being passed without coming to committee.

He said councillors also felt increasingly under pressure to rubber stamp everything officers put before them - or face the punitive costs of a possible appeal by developers - and he had known requests by councillors to have applications looked at by the committees turned down by officers.

He said: "We need to remember councillors delegate their powers to officers, officers don't delegate powers to councillors. That is what the row is about - and it is a big row."

The task and finish group will also consider whether to merge the three committees into one, which Councillor Boddington said he thought would be "impossible" and lead to members without local knowledge making decisions on towns they didn't know.

The planning process in Shropshire has become undemocratic, critics say, as major building projects are being passed by officers behind closed doors - without ever being debated in public.

A special "task and finish" team has now been set up by Shropshire Council to look at such objections, after several communities complained controversial decisions were being rubber-stamped before going in front of any planning committee.

Shropshire Council has three committees - one for the north of the county, one for the south and one for central Shropshire - made up of elected councillors from each area, who can debate whether to pass or refuse everything from new supermarkets to household extensions.

Such committees have to meet in public, but as things stand only six percent of applications go before them.

94 percent of decisions are delegated instead to council staff behind closed doors, who simply follow policy to decide whether to allow or decline applications.

It wasn't always the case - new powers for officers have come in in recent years following sweeping cuts at Shropshire Council and changes to national policy under the coalition government.

Craven Arms councillor David Evans, who chairs the south planning committee, said: "It's to do with cut backs - it takes time for officers to put together reports with every detail in it to be debated by committee members.

"If someone just needs to build a garage on their house it doesn't need to go before a committee.

"It is only the most controversial applications that are seen. But any Shropshire Council member can call an application in to be seen by the committee."

However, recently some have raised concerns that that is not happening as much as it should.

Among those raising concerns has been Oswestry Town Council which called for a review after plans for an Aldi supermarket in the town were given the go-ahead by un-elected officers, despite objections suggesting the scheme should have a full planning committee debate.

The supermarket plan could mean the demolition of a 200-year-old toll house, making it even more contentious.

Town councillors have called the decision "undemocratic" and written to Greg Clark MP, the minister for communities and local government.

Similar criticism followed a recent Shropshire Council decision to allow 25 homes off Roden Grove in Wem, again passed by officers without input from the elected north planning committee.

Protesters took to Shirehall to over the decision, but Shropshire Council has defended it, saying the scheme was considered twice by principal planning officers, who did consult with the chairman and vice-chairman of the committee - but all agreed it did not need to go to a full debate.

Earlier in the year, in Shrewsbury, nearly 150 homes, including 69 "extra care" properties, were passed by officers despite 10 objections - including from Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury Civic Society - raising concerns about traffic and the pressure on local services in such as schools in the Greenfields area of town.

In the south there has not been such a major outcry over an officer-passed development, but south planning committee member Andy Boddington said such things should not happen anywhere.

He said it was fine for 94 percent of proposals to be delegated, as major applications only made up about five percent anyway - but what was concerning was the major nature of some of the plans being passed without coming to committee.

He said councillors also felt increasingly under pressure to rubber stamp everything officers put before them - or face the punitive costs of a possible appeal by developers - and he had known requests by councillors to have applications looked at by the committees turned down by officers.

He said: "We need to remember councillors delegate their powers to officers, officers don't delegate powers to councillors. That is what the row is about - and it is a big row."

The task and finish group will also consider whether to merge the three committees into one, which Councillor Boddington said he thought would be "impossible" and mean members without local knowledge making decisions on towns they didn't know.