24 October 2011 NPN Email Newsletter

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NPN bi monthly meeting

Meeting with Planning Officers
22 November 
5.30 to 7.00 pm
Brunel House reception area

The agenda items are expected to be

• Planning Appeals: including what happens when a planning committee goes against officer recommendation to approve an application

• ‘Mixed and Balanced communities‘ how groups and planning officers can work towards ensuring development does not lead to an excess of eg one bed flats in a neighbourhood. Work has been done to map some of the types of development in Bristol to provide evidence for planning application responses eg HMOs. This will be presented and discussions about other types of development and areas that need evidential work done identified.

•  CIL Bristol City Council will be consulting on the CIL charging schedule and revised planning obligations SPD with the aim of adopting them in Autumn 2012. Some of the areas covered will be what level of the levy will be devolved to the local community to allocate through the Neighbourhood Partnership organisation, and whether the CIL will be allocated to a particular department eg Parks, Highways, Education or put into a central pot where all departments would bid for allocation.

Please can you let me know if you intend to come to this meeting?

Future Dates for Meetings with Planning Officers

The following dates have been confirmed for 2012.
We have agreed that meetings are now scheduled every 3 months instead of every 2.

However, if anything comes up that the Network groups would like to discuss urgently, additional meetings can be set up.

Thursday 19 January 5.30 – 7.00 pm
Thursday 19 April 5.30 – 7.00 pm
Thursday 19 July 5.30 – 7.00 pm
Tuesday 23 October 5.30 – 7.00 pm

At the first meeting in January 2012, we propose to look at the different ways in which communities can get involved in thinking about development in their area under current and emerging legislation eg

• Neighbourhood Development Plans
• Character Appraisals
• Site Briefs
• Concept Statements

This will also include feedback about the three ‘front runner’ schemes under the Localism Bill,

• Lockleaze
• Bedminster
• Redcliffe

Planning Online – BCC online planning application system

Some changes have been made to the way that Planning Online now works.

• You no longer have to register to comment
• Comments made on line or in emails to development management are displayed on the documents page
• You will still need to register to set up tracking or email alerts

We have been asked for feedback on the system – could you 
please let me know how your group is getting on with the new system by answering the following questions? 

• Are all the NPN groups signed up and getting email alerts?
• What do people think about the publishing of comments (ie either individual comments and/or groups comments) online, note names and addresses are now published online though not email addresses, any comments on this?
• How is the scanning going, eg time to publish and indexing?
  Feedback on particular cases please.
• Any thoughts on what could be improved?

Could someone from each group respond, please?

Site Allocations and Development Management Principles;
Central Area Action Plan

The current programme for the Bristol Development Framework consultation programme has been put onto the NPN website.
http://www.bristolnpn.net/current-projects/core-strategy

The Site Allocations programme has been delayed by the political decision on which, if any, of the Green Spaces should be allocated for development. A decision on how this is going to go forward is anticipated before Christmas which should allow the Site Allocations programme to start up again inJanuary.

Bristol Civic Society Planning Applications Group

BCS PAG is currently considering their responses to the following cases.

If your group has any comments that you would like BCS PAG to take into account
can you please contact the following asap
Gordon Tucker
gordonjtucker@googlemail.com;
and John Payne
johnpayne997@btinternet.com

Who’s Who in Development Services

The updated list of Development Services officers is attached

click on attachment below