Issue - meetings

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

The Portfolio Holder for Protecting Core Services advised that officers had been engaged in sorting issues on applications which the applicant or agent should be resolving.  The fees charged by neighbouring authorities was taken into account in the SSDC proposed Schedule of Pre-application and discretionary planning fees.

The Lead Specialist for Built Environment advised that SSDC had introduced a pre- application charging schedule 5 years previously and it had not changed since.  The proposed changes would also bring SSDC into line with the other Somerset Councils so the charges would not be so different when they merged to the Unitary Authority.  Providing advice on listed buildings was very time consuming, hence the charge and dealing with permitted development queries through an application for a Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development would remove uncertainty that pre-application advice was not binding.

The Portfolio Holder for Protecting Core Services proposed the recommendations and they were seconded by Councillor Martin Wale and unanimously agreed by Members.

(Voting: unanimous in favour)