The go-ahead was given last night (Wednesday) by the Cabinets of
Suffolk Coastal and Waveney to proposals to radically modernise the
planning service of the two Councils.
A simultaneous meeting of the two Cabinets at Wenhaston agreed a
scheme that will affect all parts of the planning services offered
by the two Councils, merged in a move that is both expected to mean
better performance and bring shared savings of over £800,000.
The Councils’ Cabinet Members for Planning, Cllr Andy Smith at
Suffolk Coastal and Cllr David Ritchie at Waveney, are delighted.
Cllr Smith said: “The Government has made significant changes to
the way planning needs to operate in the future and we intend to be
ready to adapt and support the new localised ethos and be even more
responsive to the communities we serve.
“We are looking to bring in not just an organisational
restructure but also a complete cultural change to the way our
planning services work, which will improve the delivery of our
service to our customers and make the most of new technologies.
“Our Councils have been pioneers in many ways recently, such as
our shared Chief Executive and our slimmed down joint management
team, or our Coastal Management initiatives, and these radical
changes to our planning services will again lead the way in
offering further improved, efficient services,” added Cllr
Smith.
Philip Ridley has been the shared head of the two Councils’
planning services since November 2008, and has overseen the
creation of the merged Coastal Management team, as well as being at
the forefront of the development and introduction of shared
working.
The next major task is to bring together the expertise of the
Development Control, Planning Enforcement and Building Control
teams, who in all number over 50 people.
A substantial investment will be needed to bring Suffolk
Coastal up to the same modern computer system standards for
administering the planning process as currently used at Waveney,
which also offers more comprehensive and easily accessible
information to Town and Parish Councils, and the wider public,
regarding planning applications.
“The aim is by April to create three teams covering the north,
south and central part of the combined area of our two districts,
to cover all the issues regarding planning applications,
enforcement, or safeguarding new structures through building
control. These teams will be responsive to the individual needs of
the communities they serve,” said Cllr Ritchie.
“These changes will make currently good services even better –
both Councils are among the better performers in terms of all the
key indicators such as speed and quality of dealing with
applications. The sharing of knowledge and expertise across our
districts, and the development of high calibre staff to meet this
exciting challenge, making the most of the plethora of new
technology now available, will help us deliver a modernised
service, responsive to the needs both of our communities and
those who want to invest in our area.
“As well as a modernised service to meet their future needs, our
residents will also be delighted to know that these proposals will
also deliver large and much-needed savings. We expect that the
total savings of our shared planning team will be nearly £850,000
since 2008 when Philip Ridley took on the management of both teams,
which is proving vital in helping our Councils bridge their budget
gaps,” added Cllr Ritchie.
The next steps will be to merge the Planning Policy services,
both of which have been heavily involved in the production of their
district’s respective Local Development Frameworks, and also the
Design and Conservation and Administration teams.
Also, a joint Major Projects Team will be created, to
focus on maximising the benefits of potential projects such as
offshore renewable energy, Sizewell, BT’s Adastral Park,
regeneration in Lowestoft and the Port of Felixstowe, while
protecting the local environment and obtaining the necessary
housing and infrastructure such projects require.
The new single team will then work alongside the Coastal
Management team, itself a move which places the Councils at the
forefront of the new integrated Coastal Management that is set to
become the norm
nationally.
A joint press release from Suffolk Coastal and Waveney
District
Councils