Planning Decision Process
The Planning Committees have
executive responsibility for the determination of planning
applications on behalf of the WNDC Board. The three Planning
Committees will meet in accordance with a committee timetable and
will comprise up to 8 members of whom up to 3 will be elected
representatives of the Local Authority who administer the whole or
majority of the UDA areas covered by the Committee. The remaining
members of the Committee will be drawn from the Board of WNDC and
will be chaired by a Board member.
The Committee will operate in accordance with Standing Orders
(Daventry, Towcester, Northampton) and each planning application
will receive a report with a recommendation from the officers. The
Committee is required to make its decisions only on planning
grounds and will operate to the same level of probity and
governance as the Local Authorities.
WNDC supports the principle of public participation in
decision-making, the standing orders and associated code of
practice allow for interested parties to address the Committee in
respect of any planning application on the agenda. The Committee
may also undertake a formal site visit in advance of the Committee
meeting to view the site and its surroundings for themselves. In
some cases, the Committee may also defer consideration of the
application to allow for a site visit to take place where it has
not already done so or to allow for a further report to be
prepared. Once a decision has been made, the dispatch of the
decision notice and updating of the planning register will be
handled by the Local Authority in accordance with an agreed
protocol.
Planning decisions will continue to be based upon an assessment of
all material considerations and consideration against national,
regional and local planning policy in the context of the objective
of the Development Corporation. WNDC proposes to publish a
statement setting out how it proposes to deliver sustainable growth
and regeneration through its development control decisions.
Developers will be expected to demonstrate through their
applications how they have addressed these requirements with their
proposals. To assist developers in understanding the requirements
of WNDC and other local stakeholders, WNDC encourages developers to
seek advice from WNDC on their proposals ahead of making a planning
application.