About Planning
There are 4 main departments within the Planning Service:
Development Control and Enforcement
The Development Control and Enforcement section provides a service to all four neighbourhoods and their associated Neighbourhood Committees as well as the Development Control Committee. Development Control deal with 2000-2500 applications each year, including planning applications, listed building consents, advertisements etc. as well as providing general planning advice to Councillors, members of the public, businesses and other sections of the Council.
The Enforcement team is responsible for making sure developments in the Borough do not take place without the correct permission.
Planning Policy
The Planning policy team is responsible for producing the land use policies and guidance that are used in determining planning applications including the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and the Local Development Framework (LDF). More detailed guidance is also provided in the form of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD).
Conservation and Urban Design
The Conservation & Design Team is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the historic built environment and ensuring a high quality of urban design in all parts of the built environment. Their functions include:
- Designating and managing Conservation Areas
- Managing the Councils duties for Listed Buildings
- Identifying potential Listed Buildings and submitting "Spot Listing" applications
- Protecting and promoting other historic built fabric (Other Conservation)
Conservation and Urban Design do not have a central role in nature conservation matters.
Building Control
The Building Control department ensures that building works comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations and Building Acts.