Councillor Josh Williams asked the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee:

Local Listing Process

In early December last year this Planning Committee resolved to set up and run a new process for locally listing our heritage buildings that would allow the local community to be involved in the planning process, and decisions to reside with the Planning Committee. Can the Chair please update us on progress made towards that new process in the last 10 months? Can the Chair also tell us how many applications for local listing are in the queue at this point, ready to be assessed and determined once the process is up and running?

REPLY by the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee (Councillor Lovelock):

Planning Applications Committee (PAC) in December 2020 considered a number of options for how to approach deciding on additions to the List of Locally Important Buildings.  Committee agreed that proposed Option 2 approach, involving PAC deciding on individual proposals, should form the basis for the detailed process.  It was agreed that the Deputy Director of Planning, Transport and Regulatory Services be authorised to set up the detailed process.

A detailed process in line with the agreed Option 2 was agreed and put in place in May 2021.  In summary, this process is as follows:

·      Stage 1 – Completion of nomination form on Council website, based on the agreed criteria in the Local Plan

·      Stage 2 – nomination form checked by Planning Technical Support

·      Stage 3 – Planning Technical Support compile information on existing designations and land ownership.  If the building is nationally listed, within a scheduled monument or is an identified building of townscape merit within a conservation area, it does not require local listing and will not be considered further.

·      Stage 4 – Consultations will be sent out to the relevant landowner(s), ward councillors, Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee, Reading Civic Society and any relevant community or cultural/religious organisation for the area or building.  This will include a map of the site and the information provided by the party who nominated the building.  The consultation period is 28 days.

·      Stage 5 – addition of the building to the relevant PAC agenda

·      Stage 6 – the Conservation and Urban Design Officer (CUDO) will undertake a site visit.  Whether or not an internal site visit is required will be decided on a site by site basis.

·      Stage 7 – CUDO to compile consultation responses

·      Stages 8/9 – preparation by CUDO of PAC report and cross-check by managers.  PAC report to include consultation responses and analysis of building or structure against the set criteria in the Local Plan.

·      Stage 10 – PAC to determine whether or not the building should be locally listed.  There will be no public speaking either for or against at PAC unless otherwise directed by the Chair.  If PAC decides that the building is to be locally listed, that takes effect immediately

·      Stage 11 – If PAC decision diverges from CUDO recommendation, reasoning and/or local listing text to be agreed with the Chair of PAC.

·      Stage 12 – notify landowner of outcome of PAC decision.  If decision was to add the building to the local list, this will include a formal notice of such.

·      Stage 13 – notify other consultees of outcome of PAC decision.

·      Stage 14 – if building is to be added to the list, inform internal contacts, e.g. for addition to the land charges register and historic environment record

·      Stage 15 – update the website including the description and map.

Committee also agreed that an information report be brought to a future meeting of PAC detailing the process in full.  This report will be brought to the meeting of PAC on 1^st December.

An online form for members of the public, councillors or community groups to nominate buildings for inclusion on the local list is now available on the Council’s website at https://www.reading.gov.uk/planning/conservation-areas-listed-buildings/locally-listed-buildings/. Once nominations are received, they will follow the process summarised above.

There are nine outstanding nominations for locally-listed buildings, mostly nominated by the Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee.  These pre-date the establishment of the new process.  No further nominations have been made since the new process was introduced.  Officers are beginning to work through the list of nominations that had been received before the new local listing process was finalised, and will start sending out consultations this week (week commencing 4^th October).  Following the receipt of consultation responses and due consideration, buildings will be considered for addition to the local list at a future meeting of Planning Applications Committee.