Jenrick reveals virtual planning committee regulations
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has presented regulations to parliament that will enable virtual planning committees during the coronavirus pandemic.
New legislation made will permit local authorities to attend meetings remotely so long as they can hear and be heard by others, by phone, video conferencing, live webcasts and interactive streaming tools.
Committee members, applicants and officers must all be able to hear each other and, where practicable, see each other.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has presented regulations to parliament that will enable virtual planning committees during the coronavirus pandemic.
New legislation made will permit local authorities to attend meetings remotely so long as they can hear and be heard by others, by phone, video conferencing, live webcasts and interactive streaming tools.
Committee members, applicants and officers must all be able to hear each other and, where practicable, see each other.
Members of the public must be heard only if they are registered to speak.
The guidance gives new freedom on timings, committees can be moved, rescheduled or cancelled without notice.
Local authorities must decide voting arrangements, access to documents and the level of access provided to the general public.
In the last two weeks most local planning authority committees have been cancelled, in response to government mandated social distancing in response to the virus.
Some councils have altered their constitutions to delegate decision-making to chief executives in consultation with planning chairs.
Councils will now be tasked with implementing the right technology to handle a potential backlog of applications and ensure development can continue after the crisis.
The new regulations are expected to take effect from 4 April and last until 7 May 2021.
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