News / planning
Government rejects requests to take planning department out of special measures
The government has twice rejected requests to take the planning department at Bristol City Council out of special measures.
The department was placed “under designation” in March 2024 after developers and homeowners faced long delays in getting planning permission.
A giant backlog of planning applications built up after a recruitment freeze, but over the past few months planning bosses have turned around the failing department.
is needed now More than ever
Decisions on granting permission for new buildings are now being made more quickly.
In an update on the planning department given to councillors on the economy & skills policy committee, Alex Hearn, director of economy of place, said the council has now written to the government for the third time, asking to come out of special measures.
Hearn said: “We tried again and they’re pleased to see our progress but asked us to write again.
“So at the third time of asking, we shall see whether formal de-designation will occur.
“An enormous amount of progress has been made and there’s always improvements to make, particularly in a service like planning where every part of the city has an interest in.”
Like many other councils, the planning department has struggled to recruit and retain planning officers. This is partly due to the much higher salaries they can earn working in the private sector.
Being in special measures means that some developers can bypass the council, and apply for planning permission directly from the government instead.
Councillors welcomed the progress but said they were frustrated at not receiving more detailed updates on the planning department.
One update report given to the committee in February included significantly out of date figures from November.
Green councillor Toby Wells said: “It’s really frustrating that we haven’t had more regular updates on planning performance.
“It’s been a risk that’s right up there within this committee’s remit, and we have asked for it.
“It’s frustrating to have not been able to monitor the progress quite robustly.”
Main photo: Mersina Booth
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