The Monitoring Officer submitted a report providing the formal Handling Arrangements for Council Developments Policy. 

As the Council could act as the local planning authority in respect of planning applications for development of its own land, and grant planning permission to itself; formal Handling Arrangements ensured separation of functions and acted as an ‘information barrier’ between teams of officers acting for the Council as applicant and as local planning authority.  It was noted that the formal Handling Arrangements must be published on the Council’s website and processes set out to officers on how documents storage systems would be restricted to maintain an information barrier between teams.

The Committee noted that paragraph 9.1.2 Article 9 of the Council’s Constitution would also be expanded to include the Council’s Handling Arrangements Policy to the list of policies within the remit of the Committee. 

The Committee also considered as an example the arrangements that had been put in place for the Minister Quarter Development.

Resolved –

(1)        That the Handling Arrangements for Council Developments Policy be agreed;

(2)        The arrangements put in place for the Minster quarter Development be noted;

Recommended to Council -

(3)        That the Scope of the Standards Committee’s powers be increased to explicitly include Handling Arrangements for Council Developments Policy;

(4)        That the decision of the Standards Committee as regarding adoption of the Handling Arrangements for Council Developments Policy be endorsed.