The Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report seeking approval to the principle of revising the process and level of decision-making for placing buildings or structures onto the Local List of Reading’s important buildings. The report had appended:

Appendix 1 - Equality Impact Assessment

Appendix 2 – The current local listing process

Appendix 3 – Outline Local Listing Process under Option 1

Appendix 4 - Outline Local Listing Process under Option 2

Appendix 5 – The nominations form for local listing

The report stated that the current local listing process had been agreed by Cabinet on 18 February 2013 (Minute 129 refers) and the Committee had committed to a review of the process for local listing on 19 October 2019 (Minute 59 refers).

The existing procedure for assessing nominations was made internally by Council staff, checking against criteria set out in the Local Plan, through a delegation to officers in consultation with the Lead Councillor. However, there was a movement for the local community to be more actively involved in the planning process. A Conservation and Urban Design Officer had recently been appointed and a review of the procedure for adding an item on to the local list had been undertaken. The report set out details of the resulting four possible options for consideration by the Committee, summarised below:

Option 1:      To make the process more inclusive of the community, a sub-committee could be formed to assess and decide on local nominations. It would include six representatives:

·       2 x Councillors (Lead Members for Culture, Heritage and Recreation and Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport);

·       Conservation Officer plus a senior Planning Officer/Manager;

·       2 x local community representation from Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC).

Representations would be invited from landowners, Ward Councillors and relevant local community groups prior to the decision, which would then be reported to Planning Applications Committee for information.

Option 2:      Assessment of the Local Listing nomination application could be done by the Conservation and Urban Design Officer in consultation with CAAC, landowners, Ward Councillors and local community groups as required. This would then be reported to Planning Applications Committee for decision.

Option 3:      This would be a combination of Options 1 and 2, in that the sub-committee could make a recommendation for endorsement by the Planning Applications Committee.

Option 4:      Continue with the current process, as set out in Appendix 2. This procedure was handled internally by Council staff, with little input by the local community. This option was not recommended.

The report recommended that Option 2, using the Planning Applications Committee as the decision body for local listing, should be pursued and that a more detailed proposal then be brought back to a future Committee meeting for approval.

The report stated that a panel similar to the sub-committee in Option 1 could be set up on an informal basis as a temporary working group to deal with the extensive list of existing suggestions, mainly from the CAAC. 

It was suggested at the meeting that the Committee should not only agree the principle of pursuing the approach to local listing in Option 2, but should approve, and give authority to officers to set up and run, the process set out in Option 2 and to make any amendments to the Constitution, Standing Orders or Delegations Register needed as a result.  This would be subject to officers checking that this was possible in terms of governance.

Resolved –   

(1)      That the proposed approach to the local listing of buildings and structures, as set out in Option 2 in the report, be approved;

(2)      That the Deputy Director of Planning, Transport and Regulatory Services be authorised to set up and run a new process for local listing as set out in Option 2 in the report and to make any amendments to the Constitution, Standing Orders or Delegations Register needed as a result;

(3)      That an information report be submitted to a future Committee meeting giving details of the final local listing process and start date or, if necessary, a further report be submitted to a future Committee meeting for final approval to be given to the new process.