Councillors need to sign up to get email notifications for changes to applications in their wards
Councillors will need to sign up for email notifications in future if they want to find out what’s going on with planning applications in their ward.
This is the advice of planning and cabinet member for economic development, planning and housing, Councillor Iain McIntosh.
It follows a question by Councillor Stephen Hayes, who represents Montgomery.
In recent months, changes between an outline planning permission and a detailed planning application at Pwll Farm, Hendomen in Councillor Hayes’ ward have caused problems.
The application which received 29 objections was approved by planning officers in December and one of the neighbours, Bruce Lawson, said that he would be taking legal action against the decision.
The outline planning permission was for a small agricultural cottage while the new detailed plans by a different applicant were for much bigger house.
Councillor Hayes had tried to “call in” the application to be decided by the planning committee, but had missed the deadline to do so.
Councillor Hayes explained that councillors are consultees on applications in their own wards, and as such the planning authority should tell them when material changes are made to applications.
Councillor Hayes said: “Will you confirm that the authority will, as a matter of course, notify ward members accordingly thus allowing them the opportunity to review or add to their original comments?”
Councillor McIntosh said: “All amendments to planning applications are uploaded to the council’s planning application website.
“I confirm that work is in progress by the service to introduce a registration system to enable anyone interested in a particular application or to applications that might be received within a defined area, to receive notifications by email when new documents are uploaded to the website.”
“All members will be informed of this facility when it is available.”
The Administrative Court Office for the Wales has confirmed that an application for Judicial Review of the Ty’n Pwll planning planning decision has been lodged by Mr Lawson.
