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Planning Advisory Service (PAS)
Open group | Started - July 2012 | Last activity - Yesterday

Planning Department restructure

Claire Hall, modified 7 Years ago.

Planning Department restructure

New Member Posts: 2 Join Date: 12/08/13 Recent Posts
Following staff losses our chief officer proposes to separate the planning policy and dev management planning officers into differently managed teams with the new 'Chief Planner' only retaining the DM and enforcement element and not the forward planning/development plan element. Can a LPA legally function on this basis? Experience/advice from other LPAs on this issue would be appreciated.
peter Ford, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Planning Department restructure

New Member Posts: 4 Join Date: 20/10/11 Recent Posts
The legality element probably depends on your Council's scheme of delegation and how the functions are delegated from the Chief Executive downwards.  However I would suggest that to do this would be enormous folly.  DM and development planning should, in my view, be considered as one planning service focused on delivering outcomes.  If the Chief Planner is not managing the development planning function your planning process will unravel very quickly.  I have seen numerous examples of this approach being taken throughout the country and never seen it work successfully.  I'm happy to be told differently but I work at Plymouth City Council as Head of DM and we like to think we run a successful Planning Service because Development Management and Development Planning work side by side to the point that officers are interchangeable between the two parts of the service.
Daniel Hudson, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Planning Department restructure

Advocate Posts: 121 Join Date: 25/04/12 Recent Posts

We function on a similar basis.

I am a 'Development Strategy Manager' with responsibility for Development Plans, Conservation and all the Council's housing functions.

My counterpart is a 'Development Management Manager' with responsibility for Development Management, Building Control and Land Charges.

We effectively share the planning lead as our assistant director is not a planning professional. As far as I can see there are no legal issues preventing the arrangement. Partly because of the personalities involved, it works reasonably well. We also work close to each other in the office and have a high level of day to day interaction - both at my level and between the two teams.  We haven't had any serious disputes but I could see that if the two didn't get on, it would be difficult.

Former Member, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Planning Department restructure

Hi Claire

This may have some advantages

1. Potentially a clearer budget separation may highlight any underfunding in DM and could raise sensible questions as to 'why did we spend £50k on that traffic survey?'

2. Widening the management input, particularly from those without a planning background may inject challenge and new ideas into both service areas

3. Provided that the Policy team understands the world that DM work in then it should always develop effective policies, irrespective of who manages it.

Dave

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Richard Crawley, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Planning Department restructure

Expert Posts: 253 Join Date: 07/12/11 Recent Posts

No legal reason not to do the in different directorates, but I'm firmly of the view that DM and policy need to be properly joined up. 

Of course, anything can be made to work with the right people / attitudes so I don't think PAS would 'officially' say don't do it. 

But really, don't do it.