SMDC Draft Statement of Community Involvement

Draft Statement of Community Involvement

Staffordshire Moorlands Statement of Community Involvement - March 2014

41 Part 1 About this Statement

82 Part 2 Background

203 Part 3 How can you get involved in influencing the Content ofPlanning Policy Documents?

404 Part 4 How can you get involved in the Decision Making Processon Planning Applications?

455 Part 5 Ensuring Equal Opportunities in Consultation

496 Part 6 Monitoring & Review

51Appendix A Glossary of Terms Used

55Appendix B Sources of Information & Advice on Planning



Part 1 About this Statement

3Staffordshire Moorlands Statement of Community Involvement - March 2014


1 Part 1 About this Statement

What is the Statement of Community Involvement?

1.1 Planning has an impact on all residents lives, for example the location of the homeswe live in, the roads we travel on, where we shop, work and the open spaces we enjoy.These are all as a result of planning decisions. Therefore, there is a wide variety of individualsand organisations that potentially have an interest in shaping future development in theStaffordshire Moorlands.

1.2 The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) describes how the Council will seekto engage with residents, businesses and other organisations in decision making on planningpolicy documents and planning applications in the part of the Staffordshire Moorlands outsideof the Peak District National Park Boundary.

1.3 The Council is legally required to prepare an SCI under the Planning & CompulsoryPurchase Act 2004 and once adopted it will become a statutory part of the development planand the Council will be required to implement the proposals within the document whenundertaking consultation. There are also minimum requirements for consultation on planningpolicy documents set out in the Town & Country Planning Regulations which the Councilmust adhere to. However, the Council has consistently exceeded these requirements whenproducing key planning documents like the Biddulph Town Centre Area Action Plan, theStaffordshire Moorlands Core Strategy and the Churnet Valley Masterplan and intends tocontinue this approach to further strengthen community involvement in planning.

1.4 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) also provides guidance onengagement and collaboration with residents, businesses and organisations in the productionof planning documents and in the preparation and determination of planning applications.

1.5 The aim of the approach set out in the document is to ensure that all sections of thepublic, including local groups and organisations, and any hard to reach groups traditionallyunder-represented in the planning process, have the opportunity to be pro-actively involvedthroughout the process of preparing planning policy documents. The intention is to focuscommunity involvement at the outset of the plan preparation process, ensuring that residentsand other interested parties have the opportunity to be involved at an early stage of productionof each document.

1.6 The Staffordshire Moorlands is a predominantly rural area with three market townsalong with a number of villages both large and small and hamlets as well as propertiesoutside of established settlements in the open countryside. These characteristics of thearea have to be taken into account when undertaking consultation with residents aboutplanning documents. The demographics of the District also require consideration. The 2011Census shows that the Staffordshire Moorlands has an aging population with increases inthe proportion of residents aged 65+ and decreases in the proportion of those in the 0-14and 25-64 age groups.

1.7 A number of key planning policy documents likely to generate significant public interestwill be produced by the Council in the near future, particularly relating to Site Allocations.With this in mind, the Council has decided to update its original SCI to reflect changes to



the planning system and new opportunities to engage with the public (such as social media)which have arisen since the first document was published in September 2006. This first SCIwill be fully superseded by the revised SCI once it is adopted.

1.8 PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DRAFT DOCUMENT PUBLISHED FORCONSULTATION. FOLLOWING CONSULTATION, THE COUNCIL WILL REVIEW THECOMMENTS MADE AND MAKE ALTERATIONS TO THE DOCUMENT WHEREAPPROPRIATE BEFORE ADOPTING IT.

1.9 The SCI has been structured to give a comprehensive guide to the Councils approachwhilst at the same time enabling the community to focus on particular areas of interest bysplitting the document into sections.

Part 2 provides key background information about how the planning system works, theplanning policy documents produced by the Council and the production process forthese documents. The section also covers other considerations the Council must takeinto account when preparing its planning policy documents such as the provisions madein the Localism Act 2011.

Part 3 details methods of engagement to be used during the consultation process andincludes a consultation plan showing who will be consulted at each key stage in theplan production process of the main documents. This section also includes details asto what happens to comments received by the Council during consultations on planningpolicy documents.

Part 4 specifically covers consultation in the context of the planning applications process.

Part 5 focuses on how the Council will ensure equal opportunities in consultation byseeking to involve all sections of the community in the process and measures to beused with the aim of achieving this.

Part 6 details how the Council will monitor the effectiveness of consultations as well asthe circumstances under which this SCI will be reviewed.

1.10 This statement (and the accompanying summary) is intended as a reference pointfor the community to understand how they can become involved in planning matters. Withthis in mind, a glossary has been produced to explain the terms used (see Appendix A).



Picture 1.1



Part 2 Background



2 Part 2 Background

Who is the Community?

2.1 This document has been prepared having first established a baseline structure of theStaffordshire Moorlands community and its stake holders.

2.2 This comprises:

Specific Consultation Bodies (for example utilities, Natural England, English Heritage,Environment Agency, neighbouring authorities);General Consultation Bodies (i.e. voluntary bodies, those representing different racial,ethnic, national and religious groups, local interest groups, those representing theinterests of disabled persons and local businesses as the Local Planning Authorityconsiders appropriate);General Public;Parish & Town Councils (including those who adjoin the Staffordshire Moorlands);Local Businesses (including Local Enterprise Partnership & Chambers ofTrade)Developers/Agents; andHard to reach groups.

2.3 The Council has considered how its community can best be represented and at whatstage, in the preparation of all planning policy documents and also in the determination ofplanning applications (refer to Table 3.2 and Part 4 for details).

How does the Planning System Work?

2.4 There are two key parts to the planning system - Planning Policy and DevelopmentManagement.

2.5 Planning Policyis concerned with producing the local planning documents and policiesthat are used to guide development in the Staffordshire Moorlands (outside of the PeakDistrict National Park Boundary). These documents must conform to relevant Governmentguidance, and there are specific regulatory procedures which must be followed during theirpreparation. They cover matters such as where new housing development will take placeand issues which will be taken into account when assessing a planning application.

2.6 Development Management is responsible for processing and determining planningapplications, along with other applications including works to trees, advertisements and listedbuildings. Planning applications may be determined either by officers (under delegatedpowers) or by the Planning Committee depending on the scale and nature of the proposaland any objections received.

2.7 Anyone is entitled to make comments on a planning policy document (refer to Parts2 & 3 of this document) or a planning application (refer to Part 4 of this document). Notethat policies within the Local Plan will be used to determine planning applications so it isimportant that those with an interest in the local area have their say when policy documentsare being produced. Refer to Appendix B for a list of organisations that can provide furtherinformation and advice on the planning system.



What are the Planning Policy Documents produced by the Council?

2.8 Figure 1 (below) illustrates the hierarchy of documents within the planning policysystem.

National Planning Policy Framework Produced by Central Government

Development Plan Documents (DPD) Produced by local Councils e.g. Local Plan Have to undergo independent examination

Supplementary Planning Documents

Produced by local Councils Must reflect the contents of a

DPD Do not have to go independent

examination

Neighbourhood Plans Produced by Parish Councils or

Neighbourhood Forums Must reflect the contents of a

DPD Must undergo independent

examination

Picture 1 Hierarchy of Documents within the Planning Policy System

2.9 There are a number of different planning policy documents which have been (or willbe) produced by the Council and public consultation is a key part of this process. TheCouncils Local Development Scheme (LDS), published on the Councils website lists all ofthese documents and sets out a timetable for their preparation, consultation stages,submission and review. An up-to-date timetable is also published on the Councils websitewhere real time information on the progress of all planning documents is given.

2.10 Planning Policy documents can be accessed by using the following web address:www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk



Development Plan Documents (DPDs)

2.11 The documents forming the Councils Local Plan (known as DPDs) all undergo astatutory production process which involves an independent examination before they canbe adopted by the Council. They are:

The Staffordshire Moorlands Core Strategy (adopted in February 2014)The Biddulph Town Centre Area Action Plan (adopted in February 2007); andThe Site Allocations Development Plan Document (production currently underway).Both the Core Strategy and the Site Allocations DPD are to be combined together intoa Local Plan.

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs)

2.12 Other planning policy documents prepared by the Council, (known as SPDs) expandupon or supplement individual Development Plan Document policies although do not haveDevelopment Plan status themselves and do not require independent public examination.They can comprise of masterplans and strategies as well as development briefs and specificuses / topics. However they must also accord with this SCI and they cannot make or changepolicy. The Councils current list of SPDs is:

The Churnet Valley Masterplan (incorporating Alton Towers long term plan) (adoptedas an SPD in February 2014);Housing Delivery (production currently underway);Open Space, Sport & Recreation (production currently underway);Design Guide (production currently underway);Leek Town Centre Masterplan (adopted as an SPD in February 2014);Cheadle Town Centre Masterplan (adopted as an SPD in February 2014);Natural Landscape Strategy (proposed).

2.13 Note that the lists above are not exhaustive and newDPDs and SPDsmay be added.Refer to the District Councils website for the most up to date information.

What is the Production Process for Planning Policy Documents?

2.14 The Council aims to involve the community and other interested parties throughoutthe preparation of its Development Plan Documents and particularly at the early stages ofproduction to achieve greater local ownership and legitimacy for the policies that will shapefuture development in the District.

2.15 The tables below show the current production process for DPDs and SPDs basedon The Town & Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and guidancein the NPPF. Changes to the production process could be required by amendments to theRegulations.

Production of Development Plan Documents

Stage 1 Preparation (including early engagement)Involve

Normally covers 2 consultations options and preferred options and incertain circumstances there may be a need for further consultation priorto publication



Gather evidence from a variety of sources.Notify and consult with the local community, groups and organisationsabout the content of the proposed plan (required by Regulations).Consider issues and alternatives.Consider comments made and alternative approaches.Prepare initial Sustainability Appraisal & Habitat RegulationsAssessment.Prepare content of draft document.Prepare part 1 of Consultation Statement (required by Regulations)outlining who was consulted at this stage and how, a summary of themain issues raised and how these have been taken into account. Alsodemonstrate how requirements of SCI have been met at this stage.

Stage 2 - PublicationComment

6 week (minimum) formal period to comment on soundness of plan,sustainability appraisal, Habitats Regulation Assessment and supportingevidence.Notify and invite representations from bodies required by Regulations.Documents made available for inspection at Councils principal officeand other appropriate locations and published on the Councils website.Prepare part 2 of Consultation Statement (required by Regulations)outlining who was consulted at this stage and how, the number ofrepresentations made and a summary of the main issues raised andhow these have been taken into account. Also demonstrate howrequirements of SCI have been met at this stage.

Stage 3 Submission for Independent ExaminationInspect

Development Plan Documents submitted to Secretary of State forindependent examination.Publicise examination.Notify those involved of procedures for examination.Independent examination.Planning inspector issues report.

Stage 4 AdoptionAdopt

Adopted by Council if considered to be sound by inspector withmodifications if recommended.

Notify Notify anyone who has requested to be kept informed about thepublication of the Inspectors report and the adoption of the document.

Monitor Final plan is regularly monitored, where possible, to make sure plan isachieving its aims.Plan may be reviewed, where necessary.

Table 2.1 Production Process for Development Plan Documents



Production of Supplementary Planning Documents

Stage 1 Preparation (including early engagement)Involve

Gather evidence from a variety of sources.Notify and consult with relevant individuals and organizations(required by Regulations).Consider issues and alternatives.Prepare initial Sustainability Appraisal (this is not required byRegulations but considered to be good practice where applicable).Prepare content of draft document.Prepare Consultation Statement (required by Regulations) settingout who was consulted when preparing SPD, a summary of the mainissues raised and how those issues have been addressed in theSPD.

Stage 2 - PublicationComment

4 week (minimum) formal period for anyone to comment on plan,consultation statement, sustainability appraisal (where applicable)and any supporting evidence.Documents made available for inspection at Councils principal officeand other appropriate locations and published on the Councilswebsite.

Stage 3 AdoptionAdopt

Document adopted by the Council.

Notify Notify anyone who has requested to be kept informed about theadoption of the document.

Monitor Final document is regularly monitored, where possible, to make sureplan is achieving its aims.Document may be reviewed, where necessary.

Table 2.2 Production Process for Supplementary Planning Documents

2.16 The approach when producing all planning policy documents will be one which focuseson early involvement in the process with the most intensive consultation taking place atStage 1, the preparation stage, with the aim of involving as many individuals andorganisations as possible in shaping the contents of the document. This approach reflectsthe 2012 Regulations and the guidance in the NPPF. Stage 2 is a formal representationstage seeking comments on whether the plan proposed for submission for examination issound (in the case of DPDs) or suitable for adoption (in the case of SPDs).



Sustainability Appraisals (SAs)

2.17 It is a statutory requirement that the Council produces a Sustainability Appraisal (SA)in order to assess the economic, environmental, and social effects of a plan from the outsetof the preparation process to inform policy and allow decisions to be made that accord withsustainable development. The SA documents are also subject to consultation alongside theplan and inform changes at each stage in the plan production process.

2.18 At the beginning of the plan preparation process an SA Scoping Report will beproduced setting out a baseline picture of the District, with reference to both sustainabilityobjectives and indicators. For this report the Council will consult only certain, selected,bodies, statutory consultees, as required under the regulations and various other organisationsand representative interests as deemed appropriate. An initial SA is produced at Stage 1,preparation and full consultation on this document takes place with a wider audiencealongside consultation on the plan as the two are intrinsically linked. Therefore, the SA canalso be amended to reflect comments received if appropriate. A further SA report is producedat Stage 2, publication alongside the plan so once again anyone is able to make commentson it and amendments can be made. In the case of a Development Plan Document, boththe SA and the plan (along with other related documents) are then submitted to the Secretaryof State for independent examination. Following this, a final version of the SAwill be producedalongside the adopted plan.

2.19 It should be noted that production of a Sustainability Appraisal for a SupplementaryPlanning Document is not a statutory requirement. However, in most cases the DistrictCouncil intends to produce one as it is considered to be good practice and useful in informingthe production of the plan. There may be instances where an SA is not considered to benecessary, for example, when producing design guidance and a judgment will be made ona case by case basis.

2.20 Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) is also required to be undertaken if thecontents of the plan are considered to have significant effects on European protected habitatsor species in the area or in its vicinity. This document should be made available as asupporting document to accompany the plan alongside other evidence.

What elsemust the Council consider when preparing its Planning Policy Documents?

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

2.21 The National Planning Policy Framework was published in March 2012, consolidatingpreviously issued documents called Planning Policy Statements (PPS) and Planning PolicyGuidance Notes (PPG) for use in England. The document is a key part of Governmentreforms to make the planning system less complex and more accessible, to protect theenvironment and to promote sustainable growth. Local planning authorities are required tofollow the guidance within it when creating new planning policy and determining planningapplications in their area.

Staffordshire Moorlands Sustainable Community Strategy

2.22 When preparing its Local Plan and supporting policy documents, the Council isrequired to have regard to the Staffordshire Moorlands Sustainable Community Strategy.This document sets out a vision and series of outcomes for improving the quality of life inthe District. The current version covers the period 2007 2020. A review is expected totake place in the near future to ensure the content remains up to date. The document sets



out the Councils themes to promote economic, social and environmental wellbeing byaddressing demographic changes and housing and employment needs and opportunities;and combating climate change impacts with the Vision of an excellent quality of life for allin the District. As the Government has identified Local Plans as one of the key mechanismsfor delivering Community Strategy objectives, many of the outcomes of the CommunityStrategy will be linked with aims and objectives of Local Plan documents.

2.23 The Community Strategys Key Themes and Principles include that the Council will..involve, listen to and respond to local communities by providing services tailored to localneeds and priorities, ..encourage local communities that want to take more responsibilityfor themselves and ..support community empowerment.. ; these aspirations are consideredto underpin all other areas of the Community Strategy.

2.24 The District Council is currently reviewing its consultation policy as a whole and onceproduced this will be a useful reference point for individuals and organisations within theDistrict.

Localism Act 2011

2.25 The Localism Act introduced new elements into the planning process including dutyto co-operate and neighbourhood planning.

a) Duty to Co-operate

2.26 Duty to Co-operate requires neighbouring local authorities including County Councilsand other public bodies to engage constructively, actively and on an on-going basis on crossboundary matters (e.g. levels of housing, employment, road links etc).

2.27 Local Councils are required to demonstrate compliance with the duty to co-operateas part of the examination of Local Plans. If a Council cannot adequately demonstrate thatit has complied with the duty, its Local Plan will fail the independent examination.

b) Neighbourhood Planning

2.28 Neighbourhood planning was introduced to enable communities to get more involvedin planning for their areas specifically around creating plans and policies to guide newdevelopment and in some cases granting planning permission for certain types ofdevelopment.

2.29 Other elements of neighbourhood planning introduced by the Localism Act includeNeighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders.

2.30 Neighbourhood Development Orders allow planning permission to be granted inrelation to a particular neighbourhood area for certain types of development. It allowscommunities to permit the development they wish to see either in full or outline without theneed for planning applications. The planning permission can vary from a number of homeson a specified site to blanket consent, such as extensions to residential properties acrossthe defined neighbourhood area. Exclusions do apply such as minerals and wastedevelopment, types of development which need Environmental Impact Assessment andnationally significant infrastructure projects. Again, the process for creating a neighbourhooddevelopment order is statutory and very similar to the process for creating a neighbourhoodplan.



2.31 Community Right to Build Orders are made by a community organisation (set up asa body which is established to further the social, economic and environmental well-being ofindividuals living in a particular area) or the Parish/Town Council allowing them to bringforward a small development for purposes such as new homes, businesses or communityfacilities. It is a site specific application limited to the development site.

2.32 There are a number of sources of further information about all the elements ofneighbourhood planning. Any interested parties should initially refer to the DistrictCouncils website or contact the Planning Policy Team on (01538) 395570 or [email protected].

What other Planning Documents can you comment on?

Neighbourhood Plans

2.33 Local communities are now able to produce Neighbourhood Plans for theirneighbourhood, putting in place a vision and policies for the future development of theirarea. The plan can be used to choose where new homes, shops and employment shouldbe built, protect important local green spaces and influence what new buildings should looklike.

2.34 Neighbourhood Plans are prepared by Town or Parish Councils, where these exist,or by a neighbourhood forum, not by the District Council. Once the neighbourhood area isapproved, the local planning authority has a duty to support and advise neighbourhoodgroups which are seeking to take forward a neighbourhood plan.

2.35 All Neighbourhood Plans must have regard to national planning policy and be ingeneral conformity with the strategic policies in any up-to-date adopted or emerging LocalPlan or Core Strategy. For example, whilst communities will have influence over whathousing will look like and where it will go they will not be able to stop it altogether when thereis a housing need identified for their area in a Local Plan or Core Strategy. Plan productionhas to follow a statutory process including independent examination, consultation with andparticipation by the public and the holding of a referendum. Neighbourhood planning isoptional but if adopted by the Council, neighbourhood plans will have weight, becoming partof the plan making framework for an area.

2.36 Figure 2 below gives details of the process for creating a Neighbourhood Plan asset out by the Regulations.



Figure 2 Neighbourhood Plan Production Process

Application for designation of a Neighbourhood Area The Parish Council applies to the Council for the Neighbourhood Area to be designated. The application must include:

A map identifying the area; A statement explaining why the area is appropriate for designation; A statement that the Parish Council is a relevant body for making the application.

Publicising an Area application The Council publicises the proposed Neighbourhood Area for a 6 week period of public consultation.

Publicising a designation of a Neighbourhood Area The Council considers any consultation responses and makes a decision on designation of the Neighbourhood Area. If designation is agreed, this decision is published with:

The name of the Neighbourhood Area; A map; The name of the Parish Council or Neighbourhood Forum applying for the designation.

If designation is refused, the Council publishes a decision document giving reasons for the refusal.

Neighbourhood Forum If there is no Parish or Town Council, a neighbourhood forum is designated.

Pre-submission consultation and publicity A draft plan is prepared. The Council has a duty to support, e.g. advising on general conformity with

strategic policies of Local Plan, evidence requirements and compatibility with European and equality/human rights obligations.

Parish Council holds six week consultation on draft plan with residents, businesses, certain specified organisations and the Council.

Submission of plan proposals Parish Council submits a consultation statement, map, statement of conformity and the proposed plan to the Council.

Publicising a plan proposal The Council publishes proposed plan for a further six week public consultation.



Submission of plan to examination The Council arranges independent examination of the proposed plan. Examiner receives a copy of

any consultation responses and checks that requirements have been met. The Council considers Examiners report and may decide that the draft plan should proceed to local

referendum.

Referendum The Council arranges a community referendum. If a majority of those who vote - are in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan - the Plan must be made (adopted) by the Council.

Publicising a Neighbourhood Development Plan The Council publishes plan on its web-site and makes it available for inspection.

Figure 2 Neighbourhood Plan Production Process

2.37 There are a range of approaches the Council could take in order to fulfil its statutoryduty to support and advise during the neighbourhood planning process with various levelsof involvement. If a Neighbourhood Plan is proposed in the Staffordshire Moorlands, thelevels of support provided will be considered on a case by case basis depending on theresources available to the Council at that time.



Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule

2.38 CIL is a standardized non-negotiable local levy that is placed on new developmentfor the purpose of helping to raise funds to support the delivery of the infrastructure such asschools, highways etc that is required as a result of new development. The District Councilwill decide whether to adopt CIL for the Staffordshire Moorlands later this year.

2.39 Regulations require local authorities to undertake a clearly defined procedure priorto adopting a CIL Charging Schedule, which sets out the level of charge the Council willrequire for every additional square metre of new development. The requirements forconsultation prior to adoption include:

The publication and consultation of a Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule setting outthe Councils initial consideration of an appropriate charge;

The publication of a Draft Charging Schedule on which representations can be madeprior to its submission for an independent examination. The consultation will be for aminimum of 4 weeks;

An examination in public of the Draft Charging Schedule. All those who maderepresentations on the Draft Charging Schedule will have the opportunity to make anoral presentation at a public hearing.

2.40 The Council will follow the process applied to Development Plan Documents (referto paragraph 2.14) in the production or review of a CIL Charging Schedule, recognising theimportance of early engagement within the development of new policy. The consultationmethods to be used for both the consultation on the Preliminary Draft Charging Scheduleand the Draft Charging Schedule will be advertised on the Councils website at an appropriatetime.

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)

2.41 When preparing the SCI, the Council will undertake initial consultation which will befocussed towards members of the public and local groups in order to gauge opinion onconsultation methods used and make suggestions about other methods not currently used.It is considered that these groups are the key audience at this stage as they are notautomatically notified of all consultations in person like the statutory bodies. Commentsreceived will be used to create a draft document.

2.42 The Draft SCI will then be subject to further consultation for a minimum of 4 weeks,giving the opportunity for anyone to suggest amendments before being presented to Councilfor adoption.

Local Development Scheme (LDS)

2.43 The LDS sets out a 3 year work programme for producing planning documents. Thisshows the key consultation periods for public involvement. Whilst consultation on thisdocument is not a legal requirement, the Council considers that it is good practice to undertakea targeted local consultation in order to engage people early in the process and confirm thatpartner organisations can provide necessary information on time. Responses would berequired within a 4 week period.



Part 3 How can you get involved in influencing the Content of PlanningPolicy Documents?



3 Part 3 How can you get involved in influencing the Content ofPlanning Policy Documents?

PART 3 HOW WILL YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE CONTENTOF PLANNING POLICY DOCUMENTS?

Methods of Engagement

3.1 There are a wide range of techniques which can be used to involve individuals andorganisations in planning matters. The following methods will be used as engagement andnotification methods at various stages in the production of planning policy. Note that theCouncil is not undertaking to use all of the methods listed at all consultation stages or for allplanning documents. Details of which methods will be used when and who will be targetedfollow in Table 3.2.

3.2 It should be noted that the methods the Council uses will be continually reviewed. Theopportunities to use new types of engagement techniques and continually innovate in ourapproach to engagement will be considered at every consultation. Therefore, some activitiesmay not be set out in the Statement of Community Involvement as they will be specific tothe circumstances of the consultation, reflecting new opportunities and best practice. Similarly,some of the engagement methods listed may cease to exist or be superseded over time.

3.3 The Council will make the most effective use of resources, for instance by employingexternal facilitators, as well as other sections of the Council and County Council; and bycombining participation exercises where possible with other initiatives like the CommunityStrategy. In order to make effective use of resources there will also be an emphasis on useof online methods of notification about consultation and consultation itself.



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onits

form

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tcompu

lsoryan

dthatrepresen

tations

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eby

lette

rore

mail.Th

iswill

also

bestated

intheRep

resentations

Procedu

reat

statutoryconsultationstag

estoavoidconfusion.

Itisalso

intend

edthatform

alform

sareon

lyused

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ncil

atpu

blicationstag

eof

ade

velopm

entp

lando

cumen

tand

supp

lemen

tary

plan

ning

documen

tas

they

areba

sedon

amod

elform

from

thePlann

ingInspectorate.

Feed

back

from

thege

neralp

ublic

hasindicatedthat

they

areconsidered

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complete.

With

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osed

tousesimpler

moreuser

frien

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tsform

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rlier

stag

esintheDPDan

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uctionprocess.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Gathe

ringOpinion

TheCou

ncilha

saconsultationpo

rtalw

here

itsplan

ning

policydo

cumen

tscanbe

publishe

don

linean

drespon

sescanbe

mad

edirectlyinto

thesystem

.Itrequ

ires

usersto

beregistered

onto

thesystem

andoffers

anu

mbe

rof

advantag

eswhich

Con

sultationPortal

theCou

nciliskeen

toutilise

whe

nun

derta

king

consultationon

allofitsdo

cumen

tspa

rticularly

thosewhich

gene

rate

ahigh

levelo

finteresta

ndconseq

uentlyman

yconsultationrespon

ses.

Themainad

vantag

esarethat

user

contactde

tails

are

enteredby

usersthem

selves

saving

Cou

ncilresourcesan

dredu

cing

data

entry

errors.Th

eCou

ncilcanea

silyrunrepo

rtsan

dun

derta

kean

alysisofthecommen

tsmad

e.Th

ecommen

tswill

beorga

nised

bythe

system

,saving

the

Cou

ncil

considerab

leresourcesin

term

sof

man

ually

enterin

gcommen

tsan

dtra

nscribing

hand

writing.

Notificationofaconsultationisalso

muchmorestraightforwardthroug

htheau

tomaticge

nerationof

emailsto

users.

Anyon

ecanregister

tousetheconsultationpo

rtalat:

http://staffsmoo

rland

s-consult.o

bjective.co.uk/po

rtal

TheCou

ncilwou

ldliketo

seeas

man

yindividu

alsan

dorga

nisations

useits

consultationpo

rtaltocommen

ton

consultations

aspo

ssible

andstrong

lyad

vise

that

thosewith

access

toacompu

term

akeuseof

thesystem

.

Pleasebe

awarethat

commen

tsmad

eusingthepo

rtalcou

ldbe

mad

eavailable

fora

nyon

eto

view

durin

gtheconsultationpe

riod,

thou

ghthisisno

tgua

rantee

das

itisde

pend

ento

nwhe

nthecommen

tsaresubm

itted

andavailableresources.

All

commen

tsho

wever

they

weremad

ewillbe

mad

eavailabletoview

onlineafterthe

consultationha

sen

ded.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Pap

ercopies

ofthemainconsultationdo

cumen

tsrelatingto

theLo

calP

lanan

dsupp

ortingeviden

ceba

sewillbe

availableto

view

attheBiddu

lph,

Che

adle

and

Leek

Cou

ncils

Con

nect

offices

asrequ

iredby

Reg

ulations.

Alllibrarie

sin

the

Pap

er-based

Con

sultation

District

willha

vecopies

ofthemainLo

calP

lanconsultationdo

cumen

tsavailable

toview

attheircou

nters(butno

tcop

iesofthefulleviden

ceba

seun

less

they

occupy

thesameprem

ises

astheCou

ncilOfficese.g.

Leek

andChe

adle).

Som

eSPDs

may

coverspecificpa

rtsof

theDistrictan

dinthiscase

onlyap

prop

riatelylocated

Cou

nciloffices

andlibrarie

swillbe

used

.Whe

reap

plicab

le,sum

marydo

cumen

tsan

dleaflets

willbe

widelydistrib

uted

inorde

rto

reachas

man

ymem

bers

ofthe

publican

dorga

nisations

aspo

ssible.

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Inrespon

setocommen

tsmad

eab

outpreviou

sconsultations,the

Cou

ncilwillseek

tocorrespo

nddirectly

with

the

localcommun

itythroug

hmailshots/leaflets

publicisingits

prop

osalsde

livered

toho

useh

olds

andbu

sine

sses

intheDistrictat

such

times

itconsidersthisto

beap

prop

riate.

Mailouts

Thege

ograph

ical

coverage

ofsuch

mails

hots

willde

pend

onthena

ture

ofthe

prop

osals.

Forinstance,forsite

allocations

throug

houttheDistrictas

partofaLo

cal

Plan,

leaflets

/flyerswillbe

distrib

uted

toallh

ouseho

ldsan

dbu

sine

sses

inthe

District

(with

theexceptionof

thepa

rtsof

theDistrict

which

fallwithin

thePea

kDistrictNationa

lParkBou

ndary).Fo

rprop

osalsaffectingasm

allerarea

leaflets/

flyerswillbe

targeted

towards

househ

olds

andbu

sine

sses

within

that

particular

area

only

ortheCou

ncilmay

send

outindividu

allette

rsto

househ

olde

rsan

dbu

sine

sses.

Statutory

consultationbo

dies

willreceivedirect

notificationof

allkey

consultation

stag

esintheprod

uctionof

aLo

calP

lanor

anSPDby

emailorthrou

ghthepo

st.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Thisda

taba

seha

sbe

eninop

erationfora

numbe

rofyea

rsan

disavitaltoo

lused

tokeep

details

ofkeycontacts

andno

tifyinterested

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abou

tforth

coming

consultationon

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ning

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tlyho

ldsover

2000

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includ

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neralcon

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Con

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ase

Theda

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oforga

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andindividu

alswho

:

a)Haverequ

estedto

bekept

inform

edab

outp

lann

ingpo

licydo

cumen

ts;a

nd/o

r

b)Havepreviouslyrespon

dedto

consultations

onplan

ning

policydo

cumen

ts;a

nd/o

r

c)Organ

isations

listedintheReg

ulations

that

theCou

ncilisrequ

iredto

consult.

TheCou

ncilwillinclud

ene

windividu

alsan

dorga

nisations

ontheda

taba

seup

onrequ

est.

Asne

wcommun

itygrou

psarebe

ingform

edan

ddissolvedallthe

timetheCou

ncil

willrelyon

represen

tatives

ofthegrou

pto

inform

them

asto

whe

ther

they

wan

tto

beinclud

edor

exclud

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mthis

databa

se.

Group

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ctto

beau

tomaticallyinclud

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theda

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seun

less

they

areSpe

cific

Con

sultees(as

defined

intheReg

ulations).

E-m

ailalerts

offorth

comingconsultations

willbe

sentou

ttoalltho

sewith

anem

ail

addresson

theCon

sultationDatab

ase.

TheCou

ncilspreferen

ceistocommun

icate

with

interested

parties

electro

nically

asthis

isqu

ickeran

dmorecost

effective.

How

ever,postalcom

mun

ications

willstilltake

placeatap

prop

riatetim

eswith

those

who

dono

thavean

e-mailadd

ress

toavoidexclud

ingpe

oplefro

mtheconsultation

process.

Clearly,e

mailadd

resses

andpo

stalad

dresseschan

geover

timean

dif

individualsandorganisations

wishtocontinue

receivinginform

ationfro

mtheplanning



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

policysection,they

willne

edtono

tifyus

ofan

ychan

gestocontactdetailsothe

rwise

postal

andem

aila

ddresses

which

arereturned

totheCou

ncilas

unde

livered

will

bede

letedfro

mtheda

taba

seun

less

they

arestatutoryconsultees.

Onlinepo

rtalusers

willreceiveareminde

rof

theiruser

namean

dpa

sswordfro

mtim

eto

time(usuallyon

anan

nualba

sis).

Areview

oftherecordshe

ldwillbe

cond

uctedfro

mtim

etotim

etoen

sure

thatthose

ontheda

taba

sewou

ldstillliketo

beinclud

ed.

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

TheCou

ncilwillprod

ucedo

cumen

tsinalternativeform

atson

requ

est;thisinclud

eslargeprint,Braille,

theTalkingNew

spap

eran

din

lang

uage

sothe

rthan

Eng

lish.

TheCou

ncilalso

operates

aLan

guag

eLine

whe

rean

interpretercan

translatethe

inform

ation.

Availability

ofDocum

ents

inAlternativeFo

rmats

TheCou

ncilwillinclud

einform

ationab

outthisserviceinits

consultation

documen

tationan

don

itsweb

site.

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Site

notices

willbe

displayedto

draw

attentionto

allp

ropo

sedsite

allocations

for

housing,

employmen

tor

retailuses

within

draftcopies

oftheSite

Allocations

Develop

men

tPlanDocum

ent/Lo

calPlanat

anap

prop

riate

stag

ein

theplan

Site

Notices

prod

uctionprocess.

Thisisconsidered

tobe

aneffectiveway

ofraisingaw

aren

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ofplan

prop

osalsan

dinpa

rticularn

otifyinginterested

parties

livingan

d/orw

orking

inthelocalarea.

Ifthesesiteno

tices

areremoved

byan

ythird

parties

durin

gtheconsultationpe

riod,

theCou

ncilcann

otbe

heldrespon

siblean

dthereisno

guaran

teethat

thesewill

bereplaced

.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Raising

Awaren

ess

Pub

licity

postersareausefulmecha

nism

toletthe

localcom

mun

ityknow

abou

tplan

ning

policyconsultations.Th

eCou

ncilwillrequ

esta

ssistancefro

mParish

Posters

Councils

todisplaynotices

intheircom

munity

relatingtoplanning

policyconsultations

and/o

rCou

ncilOfficers

willdisplaypo

stersat

approp

riate

stag

esto

helpraise

publicaw

aren

esswhe

rethey

consider

that

thiswou

ldbe

bene

ficial.

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Man

yplan

ning

policydo

cumen

tsareleng

thyan

dtechnicalbytheirv

eryna

ture.

TheCou

ncilwillthereforeprod

ucemoreuser

frien

dlysummarydo

cumen

tsat

anSum

maryDocum

ents

approp

riate

stag

eintheplan

prod

uctionprocess.

Thesewillbe

mad

eavailable

freeof

charge

ontheweb

site

andat

approp

riate

venu

esthroug

hout

theDistrict.

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

TheCou

ncilissues

newsreleases

tolocal,region

alan

d(if

approp

riate)n

ationa

l,print,broa

dcasta

ndon

linemed

iaou

tlets.Th

isinclud

esthosesugg

estedby

amajority

oftheCitizens

Pan

elinasurvey

heldinJuly20

13.How

ever,clearlythe

Cou

ncilcann

otcontrolw

hether

thepresschoo

seto

featuretheseor

not.

Med

iaRelea

ses

TheCou

ncilmay

arrang

epa

idad

vertising

inthelocalpap

ers(Lee

kPost&

Times,

Sen

tinel,B

iddu

lphChron

iclean

dChe

adle&Tean

Times

werethemostfrequ

ently

sugg

estedinasurvey

oftheCitizens

Pan

el)toraiseaw

aren

essab

outcon

sultation

onplan

ning

policydo

cumen

ts.Th

ede

cision

totake

thisap

proa

chwillbe

based

onthedo

cumen

tinqu

estionan

dwhe

ther

itsconten

tsarelikelytocrea

tesign

ificant

publicinterestas

wellasresourcesavailableat

that

time.

Alternativemetho

dsof

advertising

includ

inglocaln

ewsletters

willbe

used

bythe

Cou

ncilifitconsidersthisto

beap

prop

riate

andsubjecttoresourcesavailableat

that

time.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Thereisno

wno

statutoryrequ

iremen

ttoplaceform

alno

tices

inlocalnew

spap

ers

abou

tcon

sultationat

everystatutorystag

eon

everydo

cumen

tand

itisno

tconsidered

that

theseform

alno

tices

werepa

rticularly

usefulto

notifythege

neral

publicab

outforthcomingconsultationas

they

wererequ

iredtoinclud

eterm

swhich

may

notbeea

silyun

derstood

andwereplaced

intheform

alno

tices

sectiontowards

therear

ofthene

wspap

erso

oftenmissedby

read

ers.

Also,

thesead

verts

were

notcon

side

redthebe

stuseof

limitedresourcesas

they

wererelativelyexpe

nsive

toplace.

Itisconsidered

that

moreattra

ctivead

vertising

usingless

jargon

wou

ldbe

moreap

prop

riate

whe

rethereislikelyto

besign

ificant

publicinterestinthe

conten

tsofapa

rticulardocum

ent.Th

erefore,type

sofad

vertising

foreachdo

cumen

twillbe

considered

onacase

bycase

basiswith

theaim

ofitbe

ingas

effectiveas

possible.

Gathe

ringOpinion

Thereisan

establishe

dne

tworkofParishan

dTownCou

ncils

throug

houttheDistrict

which

willcontinue

tobe

consultedon

plan

ning

policydo

cumen

tsan

dplan

ning

applications

relevanttotheira

reas.Parishan

dTownCou

ncils

inothe

rareas

which

border

theStaffo

rdshire

Moo

rland

sbo

unda

ryarealso

consultedon

plan

ning

policy

documen

tsas

requ

iredby

theReg

ulations.

Parishan

dTownWorksho

ps/

Mee

tings

Providing

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

Asthey

play

such

animpo

rtant

role

inthelocalcom

mun

ity,the

Cou

ncilwillseek

toinvolveParishan

dTownCou

ncils

intheform

ulationof

new

plan

ning

policy

documen

tson

apro-activeba

sis.

Inad

ditionto

statutoryconsultation,

officers

curren

tlyattend

ParishAssem

blymee

tings

asan

othe

rway

ofinform

ingpa

rishe

sab

outforth

comingconsultationon

plan

ning

policydo

cumen

ts.Individu

alParish

Cou

ncilmee

tings

have

been

attend

edby

officerson

requ

estand

thisap

proa

chwill

becontinue

dsubjecttoavailableresources.

TheCou

ncilhe

ldParishWorksho

ps(to

which

allP

arishCou

ncils

intheStaffo

rdshire

Moo

rland

splan

ning

area

were

invited)

aspa

rtof

Core

Stra

tegy

consultation.

Theirform

atconsisted

ofa



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

presen

tationby

Cou

ncilofficersto

providethecontextfollowed

bysm

allgrou

proun

dtablediscussion

s(with

supp

ortingmaterialsuchas

map

s)coverin

ganu

mbe

rof

detailedissues.Fe

edba

ckof

thekeyissues

iden

tifiedon

each

tablewas

then

giventothegrou

pas

awho

le.EventslikethisaretheCou

ncilspreferredap

proa

chto

enga

ging

with

ParishCou

ncils

asitisconsidered

that

thisisan

effectiveway

ofdiscussing

issues

affectingtheircom

mun

ityan

dconsideringwhe

ther

thecommun

itycouldaccommod

ategrow

th,for

exam

ple.

Gathe

ringOpinion

Pub

licexhibitions

anddrop

insessions

whe

remem

bers

ofthepu

bliccandiscuss

issues

with

Plann

ingOfficers

willbe

held

atkeyconsultationstag

esto

assist

the

publicinun

derstand

ingan

drespon

ding

toprop

osals.

Thesewillbe

heldatanu

mbe

r

Pub

licExhibition

s/D

rop-in

Session

sProviding

Inform

ation

&Raising

Awaren

ess

ofvenu

esthroug

hout

theDistrict

whe

replan

smay

affect

thelocalcom

mun

ity,o

rto

allowgrea

teraccess

tomem

bers

ofthepu

blican

dorga

nisations

that

may

not

beab

leto

attend

durin

gno

rmal

officeho

urs(e.g.,thosewithou

taccessto

public

orprivatetra

nspo

rt,etc).Th

eCou

ncilwillalso

holdexhibitions

outo

foffice

hours

whe

repo

ssibletogive

mem

bersofthepu

blicaccess

totheinform

ationan

dCou

ncil

officers.

Gathe

ringOpinion

Interactiveeven

tsareavaluab

letoolfora

ctivelyinvolvingalocalcom

mun

ity.Th

eCou

ncilha

simplem

entedaserie

sof

Com

mun

ityCon

versations

inconjun

ction

with

theStaffo

rdshire

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rland

sCom

mun

ityVo

luntaryServices(SMCVS)with

InteractiveEvents

localvillag

es.T

hese

wereem

ployed

aspa

rtofits

initialstag

esofpu

blicconsultation

relatingto

land

useprop

osalswithintheem

erging

Site

Allocations

documen

t(an

dalso

prop

osalswithin

the

emerging

Chu

rnet

ValleyMasterplan

SPD).

These

conversations

took

theform

ofoutreach

mee

tings

atlocalvillag

eha

llswith

local



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

reside

nts/commun

itygrou

ps,a

llowingOfficers

tono

tonlydissem

inateLo

calP

lan

prep

arationinform

ation,

butto

give

presen

tations;an

den

courag

ein

teractive

exercisese.g.

with

map

s.

Plann

ingforR

eal

isan

othe

rexampleofthistype

ofeven

t,an

dwas

used

aspa

rtof

theBiddu

lphTownParkproject.

Gathe

ringOpinion

Cou

ncilOfficers

arekeen

tomee

tand

/orc

orrespon

dwith

Statutory

Bod

iesan

dLo

calInterestG

roup

swhe

rethiswillhe

lpto

coverp

articular

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inde

pthan

d/

orhe

lpgrou

psto

becomemoreinvolved

,asresourcespe

rmit.

Mee

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dence

with

Statutory

Bod

ies&

Local

InterestGroup

s

Gathe

ringOpinion

ThePartnershipismad

eup

ofkeypu

blican

dprivateorga

nisations

andon

eof

itsrolesisto

overseetheprod

uctionof

theSustainab

leCom

mun

ityStra

tegy.Th

eMoo

rland

sToge

ther

Partnership

PartnershipExecutivemee

ts6tim

esayear

andisthemainconsultationbo

dywithin

thestructure.

Itha

son

esub-grou

preflectingon

eofits

3priorities,theStaffo

rdshire

Moo

rland

sWorklessnessFo

rum

comprisingof

arou

nd15

diffe

rent

partn

ersfro

mtheprivate,pu

blican

dvoluntarysectorsallofw

homprovidesomesortofservice

forp

eoplewho

areou

tofw

ork.

ThePartnershipExecutivean

dtheWorklessness

Forumwillbo

thbe

consultedthroug

hattend

ance

attheirm

eetings

and/orsep

arate

commun

ications.



TYPEOF

INVOLV

EMENT

HOW

ITWILLWORK

METH

OD

Gathe

ringOpinion

TheCou

nciliscommitted

toen

surin

geq

ualityinits

plan

ning

policyconsultations

sowillun

derta

keou

treachwork(along

with

partn

erssuch

astheSMCVS)w

ithha

rdOutreach

work

with

Hard

toRea

chGroup

storeachgrou

psiden

tifiedinthisdo

cumen

tand

othe

rgroup

sitconsidersne

cessary.

Thismay

take

theform

ofmee

tings,w

orksho

psor

questionn

aires.

Thepa

rticular

grou

psan

dthelevelofw

orkun

derta

kenwillbe

commen

surate

with

thedo

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How will individuals and organisations be consulted?

3.4 The Council will target those groups and individuals likely to have an interest in anyparticular document. The Council has limited resources and therefore has to be realistic inconsideration of whom to consult, when, and how. Careful consideration of which groupsto consult represents better economy of Council resources; and will also help to avoidconsultation fatigue i.e. over-consultation with non-relevant groups (which could lead toapathy).The Moorlands Together Partnership offers an executive body (meeting 6 times ayear) and a theme group and other existing community engagement structures like the ParishAssembly and the Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly (both meeting 4 times ayear)will be utilised where possible.

3.5 TheRegulations state that the Council must meet aminimum level of public involvement,and lists the bodies that must be consulted when preparing Local Plans. These are referredto as general consultation bodies and specific consultation bodies. These have not beenlisted within this document as they are frequently subject to change, particularly the specificconsultation bodies.

3.6 Table 3.2 set out below shows how each consultation category (listed in paragraph2.1) will be consulted on the production of all key planning policy documents. This has beendevised taking account of comments made about the consultation process during the recentproduction of the Staffordshire Moorlands Core Strategy and the Churnet Valley Masterplanas well as the Councils intention to use maximum publicity during the early stages of theprocess when plans are being drafted and make best use of its resources. The requirementsset out in the Regulations (2012) are incorporated into the table at the relevant stage as wellas additional measures the Council is proposing over and above these regulations. Newconsultation methods frequently come to light so the lists in the tables are not exhaustiveand the Council may use other methods as well as those listed.



Con

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ltatio

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eth

od

Who

? Do

cum

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Summary

Documents

Publication

on online

Portal

Moorlands

Together

Partnership

Meetings if

appropriate

Interactive

Events

Public

Exhibitions

Media

Releases

Paper based

Direct

Notification

if on

Consultation

Database

Response

Form

Parish &

Town

Council

Workshop

Social

Media

Website

Mailout

Site Notices

Posters

Loca

l Pla

n

Stag

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-

Prep

arat

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te O

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ns

x x

x

x x

X

b) Pr

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Opt

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x x

x

x x

X

Stag

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Publ

icat

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x x

x x

x

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*

Stag

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x

x

x

STAT

UTO

RY

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x x

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Stag

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x x

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GEN

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Picture

3.2



Con

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Who

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Form

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Figu

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Con

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M

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Summary

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Figu

re3.2



What Happens to the Comments / Representations made to the Councilduring Consultation?

3.7 All comments / representations made in writing (i.e. by letter, on a form, email or onthe Councils consultation portal) by the deadline given will be acknowledged and theindividual / organisation who responded will be kept informed about future stages in theproduction of the plan (unless they request not to be). The Council will not accept anonymousrepresentations and late representations will only be accepted with the Councils agreement.Sometimes plans may attract a large number of objections or petitions. These will be takeninto account in the same way as other representations. Comments made at earlier roundsof consultation on a document will not normally be carried forward unless additionalconsultation is being undertaken. Any outstanding issues must be resubmitted in order tobe considered.

3.8 Copies of representations will be made available for inspection at the Council officesand on the Councils website. Copies of representations displayed on the website will removesignatures and addresses of residents in response to requests made by members of thepublic.

3.9 Comments received from all community involvement will be carefully considered, andthe changes proposed to a Local Plan or Supplementary Planning Document as a result,will be reported to the appropriate Council meeting. Documents for submission to theSecretary of State as well as the final version of an SPD proposed for adoption will beapproved by a meeting of the entire Council.

3.10 The comments / representations (usually presented to Councillors in summary formdue to their number and length) will form part of the evidence base given to Councillorswhen they are asked to make decisions. The evidence base consists of a range of informationthat needs to be considered in making a decision. This may also include guidance andresearch. It will be for the Councillors to judge the weight to be given to specific commentsmade and to balance those comments with other relevant sources of information on thematter.

3.11 The Council is required to prepare a consultation statement setting out who wasconsulted and how, a summary of the main issues raised by respondents and how theseissues have been taken into account for Local Plan documents and SPDs. The Councilmust then make a copy of this statement available for comment along with the documentbeing prepared during statutory consultation periods and submit it to the Secretary of Statefor Local Plan documents undergoing independent examination as evidence that the Councilhas met the contents of its SCI as well as its statutory consultation requirements.



Part 4 How can you get involved in the Decision Making Process onPlanning Applications?



4 Part 4 How can you get involved in the Decision Making Processon Planning Applications?

PART 4 HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ONPLANNING APPLICATIONS?

Methods of Involvement when Consulting on Planning Applications

4.1 The Councils policy for consulting on planning applications is set out below. It is inconformity with the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(England) Order 2010 and other relevant legislation including the National Planning PolicyFramework, and also reflects this Councils adopted practices and procedures (as amendedin February 2014).

4.2 When a valid application is received and registered, the Council has to carry out certainformal consultations, for example with the Parish Council or Highway Authority. Dependingon the nature of the application, national bodies with statutory functions, such as theEnvironment Agency, Sport England and English Heritage will also be consulted. The Councilalso notifies interested parties and neighbours in accordance with Government Guidelinesand the Councils own adopted practices.

4.3 Different types and scales of application require different methods of consultation.For most applications neighbour notification is likely to be sufficient to meet the statutoryrequirements. However where applications that are deemed major in terms of their scale,those that require an Environmental Impact Assessment Statement under the regulations,or are deemed contrary to the development plan are received, the regulations also requirethe Council to advertise these applications in the local press (and sometimes the nationalpress).

4.4 Additionally the Council will employ various additional outreach methods of publicconsultation, where a planning application would be either be:

1. major in scale and not in accord with planning policy; or secondly

2. Where it would give rise to issues of local controversy.

4.5 Where either of these situations arises, the Council will normally employ one or moreof the following means of involving the community in addition to the statutory minima:

Public meetings;

Development briefs, and

Workshops.

4.6 Town and Parish Councils have been invited to nominate any live planning applicationupon which they wish the Planning Applications Service to attend to undertake discussionwith, and provide advice to, the public (on a without prejudice basis).



Pre-application Community Involvement

4.7 For significant applications such as those listed above, the Council will encouragedevelopers to undertake pre-application discussions and early community consultation. Theaim of this process is to promote discussion between developers, statutory consultees andthe community to identify any issues of concern before a formal application is made andtherefore give an opportunity for these to be resolved at an early stage.

4.8 Community consultation could comprise the methods highlighted in paragraph 4.4-developers meeting with Parish Councils, community groups or holding public meetings orexhibitions. It must be noted however the Council cannot refuse to accept a valid applicationbecause it disagrees with the way in which a developer has consulted the community, butfailure by the developer to consult could lead to objections being made which are materialto the determination of the application.

Availability of Information relating to Planning Application Decisions

4.9 The Council is in the process of reviewing and improving the accessibility to informationonce the decision on a planning application is made. It is intended that all of the applicationfile papers will be available to view online at the time of receipt and during the decisionmaking process. This will help residents, consultees, and Town and Parish Councils to keepupdated and (for consultees and Town/Parish Councils) to scrutinise the extent to whichdecisions accord with their advice.

Methods of Consultation / Notification

The Weekly List

4.10 A register of all received and determined planning applications, updated weekly isavailable on the District Councils website at www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

Newspaper Notices

4.11 Certain types of applications are advertised in the local press, including majordevelopments (for example a housing development of ten houses or more), developmentsaffecting listed buildings and conservation areas, an application which is accompanied byan Environmental Impact Assessment Statement, or an application which is a departurefrom the Councils normal policies. Occasionally the Council may also advertise applicationswhich do not fit into the above categories, but are of wider interest.

Site Notices

4.12 The Council posts notices on site informing people of applications which fall withinthe same categories as for newspaper notices, listed above. These state when the Noticewas posted, and the date by which representations need to be made.

Local Councils

4.13 Town and Parish Councils are sent details of all current planning applications withintheir area of the Staffordshire Moorlands, for information and comment. Town and ParishCouncils whose areas adjoin Staffordshire Moorlands District will be sent details of planningapplications likely to have an impact on their areas. This will be applied at the discretion ofthe Council but in all cases for wind turbine applications.



Neighbour

SMDC Draft Statement of Community Involvement

Documents

Transcript of SMDC Draft Statement of Community Involvement