News / planning
Bristol’s planning department put into ‘special measures’
A senior council boss has apologised after Bristol’s planning services were in effect taken over by the government.
The backlog of planning applications in Bristol has got so bad that anyone applying for “non-major development” can now bypass the city council entirely and instead apply to the national Planning Inspectorate.
The notice of designation – similar to a school being placed into “special measures” – was authorised by planning minister, Lee Rowley, and came into force on Wednesday morning.
The designation says “that there are respects in which (Bristol City Council) are not adequately performing their function of determining applications for planning permission tor non-major development under Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990”.
The notice will remain until revoked by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.
City Hall’s planning department has been put into ‘special measures’ – photo: Mersina Booth
In a letter seen by Bristol24/7 that was sent to councillors, Bristol City Council’s director for economy of place, Alex Hearn, said that the designation was “disappointing”.
Hearn said: “I recognise that residents, businesses and community organisations are frustrated at the delays caused by our backlog and offer my apologies for this.
“The designation is disappointing as it fails to recognise the efforts of the service to make significant advances in the last nine months to improve the pace of decision making and to bring down the backlog of unallocated applications, which we anticipate clearing by early summer.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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