Development Control Service Standards

The purpose of these standards is to:

Give you an understanding of what you can expect to receive from the service.

• Provide an overview of what we try to achieve.
• Let you know how we operate.
• Tell you what our service standard targets are.
• Explain how to complain about unsatisfactory service.

Submitting a planning application

If you submit a planning application you have the responsibility of making sure your application is submitted correctly, but before submission you can expect to:

• Be told what forms and plans are needed.
• Be provided with notes for guidance and leaflets explaining the information required and the fees involved.
• Be shown how to complete forms and present the application, if required.
• Be advised how to purchase Ordnance Survey site plans and be told about the cost.
• Be offered an informal opinion on the chances of success.

NB.  Opinions given will be the personal and professional view of the officer and will not be binding on the council.

After submission of an application, you can expect:

• Your application to be registered, the case officer to visit the site and an acknowledgement letter to be sent, (or if your application is invalid to be advised of the reasons why by telephone or in writing) within 10 working days.
• To be told as early as possible if any extra information is needed and that this will be required within 14 days.
• The case officer to suggest any relatively minor amendments which could be made to the application to avoid refusal, giving a 14 day period for you to respond.
• To be advised of your rights of appeal if the application is not determined within eight weeks.

Pre-applications discussions

The council encourages prospective applicants to discuss their proposals with a planning officer before the application is submitted.  You can expect:

• Planning officers to be available without appointment at the Civic Centre between 8.30am and 10.30am and 4.00pm and 5.00pm weekdays, except Wednesday morning 9.30am - 10.30am.
• A planning officer to be available at the New Romney One Stop service between 9.00 am and 12 noon every Friday.
• Administrative planning staff to be available throughout the day to take messages and deal with straightforward enquiries.
• To be able to make an appointment to see a planning officer within 10 working days.
• Pre-application enquiries to be dealt with in confidence until an application is submitted.
• Letters to be acknowledged within three working days and emails within one working day and a full response to be given within 20 working days.
• Your telephone messages to be returned within 24 hours.

Notifying the public

The council will publicise planning applications by:

• Displaying planning applications on www.ukplanning.com/shepway.
• Advertising planning applications in the press and by site notice where the legislation requires it.
• Advising people most immediately affected by a proposed development by letter.
• Re-notifying interested parties of any amendments made to a proposal after it has been submitted which raise new issues.
• Keeping a register of planning applications and decisions available in the Civic Centre reception for inspection during office hours.
• Adding applications and decisions to the register within 10 working days of receipt or the date of the decision.

If you write in on an application you can expect:

• An acknowledgement and for any points made that are relevant to planning, as set out in our ‘Guidance for Making Comments on Planning Applications' leaflet, to be taken into account before a decision is taken.
• If an application goes before the Development Control Committee to be advised of the date of the meeting and to be invited to speak at the meeting.
• To be advised of the procedures for speaking at the committee's meetings.

NB.  Most applications are not determined by the committee.

Making the decision

The council's performance targets are as follows:

• To determine 60% of all major planning applications within 13 weeks.
• To determine 65% of all minor planning applications within eight weeks.
• To determine 80% of other (including domestic) applications within eight weeks.
• To issue decision notices within two working days of the decision being made.

In addition the council will:

• Give reasons why applications are refused.
• Give reasons why conditions are imposed on planning permissions.
• Let applicants know as soon as possible that planning obligations may be required.
• Make it clear at the earliest stage of the likely legal costs of entering a planning obligation.
• Advise interested parties who have made written comments of the decision in writing.
• Advise applicants of their rights of appeal against the council's decision or any conditions imposed.

Monitoring development

The council will endeavour to:

• Monitor developments to ensure they accord with the conditions imposed on planning permissions.
• Ensure developments are built in accordance with the approved drawings.
• Deal with requests to consider minor amendments promptly, where possible within 20 working days.

Enforcing planning law and regulations

If you make a complaint about an alleged breach of planning control, you can expect:

• Complaints to be treated confidentially.
• Written complaints to be acknowledged in writing or by telephone within two working days.
• To be notified within 20 working days of how the council intends to pursue the matter.
• To explain why no action is to be taken if that is the case.

Complaints

The council publicises its Complaints Procedure and information about how to complain about council services is kept in the reception area at the Civic Centre or is available on the council's website at www.shepway.gov.uk.  All complaints about the delivery of the service will be fully and properly investigated in accordance with the council's Complaints Procedure and a full response explaining the outcome will be given.

If you do complain, you can expect:

• An acknowledgement within three working days.
• The matter to be fully and properly investigated, initially by the Head of Planning Services, Development Control Manager or Team Leaders as appropriate.
• To receive a full written response within 20 working days or an update with a revised timescale for a full response.
• To be advised that, if you are not satisfied with the way in which the complaint has been handled, you can request the complaint is independently investigated by an officer from another department.
• To be advised that if you are not satisfied having been through the council's Complaints Procedure, ultimately, you can complain to the Commission for Local Administration (the Local Government Ombudsman).

Performance

The Development Control Unit will:

• Publish an annual review of its development control performance as part of the council's reporting procedures. You may view these by visiting http://www.shepway.gov.uk/content/view/725/1644/.