Public Performance Reporting

Planning and Building Standards

• The Planning Service works to make sure that development takes place in the right locations. We aim to encourage new investment in businesses and shops, and also to make sure that there is sufficient land for new housing, and to protect the area's heritage and natural resources.
• A major part of our work is deciding on planning applications; we have to balance what the applicant wants with the likely impact of the proposed development on the wider community.
• In 2005/6, almost 1500 planning applications were dealt with, 56% of them within two months of receipt. This was a poorer performance than in previous years, down from 67% in 2003/4. We have now taken action to improve this part of our service.
• Where there are suspected breaches of planning control the Council will investigate and seek to resolve them, if necessary through enforcement action.
• Each year the Building Standards Service processes Private Sector Housing Grants amounting to £1 million and deals with 2,000 Building Warrant applications to decide if they meet the current Building Regulations.
• Building Regulations are minimum standards for the design and construction of buildings to safeguard, as far as possible, the health and safety of people in and around buildings.
• Building Standards staff also deal with Licensing and disability issues, and make sure that dangerous buildings in the Council’s area are made safe.