South Lanarkshire Planning Performance Framework
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Community and Enterprise Resources Planning and Economic Development South Lanarkshire Planning performance framework 2016-2017 Page 1 Planning Performance Framework 2016 - 2017 Contents Chapter 1 Introduction : Background to Planning Performance Framework The Planning Service Planning Performance Framework 2 Defining and measuring a high quality Planning Service - Part 1 3 Supporting evidence - Part 2 4 Service improvements - Part 3 : Service improvements 2017/18 Delivery of Service improvement actions 2016/17 5 National Headline Indicators - Part 4 6 South Lanarkshire Council official statistics - Part 5 7 South Lanarkshire Planning Service – Workforce information - Part 6 Chapter 1 Planning Performance Framework 2016 - 2017 Page 2 Page 3 Planning Performance Framework 2016 - 2017 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.0 Introduction • natural resilient places – helping to management system also needs to be protect and enhance our natural cultural responsive, reliable, transparent and 1.1 Background to Planning assets and facilitating their sustainable use; efficient; and be supported by enforcement Performance Framework powers which can be used to uphold the • connected places – supporting better law and enforce these decisions. 1.1.1 The Scottish Government’s central transport and digital connectivity. 1.1.3 If the planning system is to deliver purpose is to create a more successful Development plans therefore need to be up these outcomes it has to perform to a country with opportunities for all of to date, reflect the communities they cover, high standard and pursue continuous Scotland to flourish through increasing and encourage the right development improvement. The Planning Performance sustainable economic growth. The in the right place. The development Framework (PPF) therefore describes how planning system is used to make decisions about the future development and use of land in our towns, cities and countryside. It considers where development should happen, where it should not and how development affects its surroundings. The system balances different interests to make sure that land is used and developed in a way that creates high quality, sustainable places. 1.1.2 When making these decisions the Scottish Government expects Councils to focus on the key planning outcomes identified for Scotland. • successful sustainable places – supporting economic growth, regeneration and the creation of well-designed places; • low carbon places – reducing our carbon emissions and adapting to climate change; Chapter 1 Planning Performance Framework (PPF) 2016 - 2017 Page 4 Introduction the Planning Service in South Lanarkshire seeks to deliver on these tasks and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement. It is based on qualitative and quantitative indicators and sets out the actions to be taken by the Planning Service in 2017/18 to support continuous improvement. The PPF also reviews progress on the actions identified in the previous PPF. 1.2 The Planning Service 1.2.1 With 315,360 residents and 142,286 households the population of South Lanarkshire continues to grow and it is Scotland’s fifth largest local authority. It covers an area from Rutherglen and Cambuslang, on the boundary with Glasgow, to the Southern Uplands at Leadhills; east to Forth and Dolphinton; and west to Thorntonhall and Drumclog. Its main towns are Rutherglen, Cambuslang, East Kilbride, Hamilton and Lanark. Within its boundaries there are a World Heritage site, 30 Conservation Areas, around 1,100 Listed Buildings and an extensive rural area which includes the Clyde and Avon Valleys and parts of the Southern Uplands and the Pentland Hills. 1.2.2 South Lanarkshire’s Planning Service is part of Community & Enterprise Resources. The Council’s Planning Service’s work is undertaken by 4 teams with a total of 42 staff. The staff is divided between four teams comprising a Headquarters team and three Area Office teams. 1.2.3 Following the centralisation of the service in 2016/17 all 4 teams are now located in the Community & Enterprise Resources HQ building in Hamilton. The HQ team continues to deal with Development Plan preparation, publishing and monitoring; and produces, where necessary, appropriate Supplementary Guidance (SG). The HQ team also coordinates the Council’s input to the Page 5 Planning Performance Framework 2016 - 2017 Chapter 1 Introduction preparation and monitoring of the Strategic Development Plan (SDP), via the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Strategic Planning Authority as well as handling all mineral, waste and large scale windfarm applications. 1.2.4 The 3 Area teams handle the vast majority of all the planning applications submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 and other associated legislation. This includes applications for planning permission, listed building consent, conservation consent, advertisement consent, high hedges applications and certificates of lawful use. In addition to this work these teams also assist the HQ team in work on the Development Plan, SG and the SDP. 1.2.5 The Planning Service is combined and managed jointly with the Building Standards Service and Economic Development. All three functions report to a single Head of Service. 1.2.6 The Planning Service continues to focus its work on the outcomes set by the Scottish Government, the aims around which the Community Plan is structured and the priorities in the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA). National outcomes include having a planning and development regime which ensures greater certainty and speed of decision making, protecting and enhancing the natural & built environment, making Scotland an attractive place for business investment, and having well-designed, sustainable places which support people’s physical and mental wellbeing. 1.2.7 The Community Plan highlights the promotion of sustainable and inclusive communities and sustainable economic recovery and development. The SOA identifies economic growth and recovery as a priority. 1.2.8 The direction established in these documents is cascaded down into the objectives set out in the Council Plan, Connect. Chapter 1 Planning Performance Framework (PPF) 2016 - 2017 Page 6 Introduction These include:- These objectives are translated into specific actions to be taken by the Planning • Supporting the local economy by providing Service. These include progressing work the right conditions for growth on the preparation and implementation • Improving the quality of the physical of the Council’s Local Development Plans, environment and Clydeplan (the Strategic Development • Improving the road network and influencing Plan) - in accordance with the timetable improvements in public transport set out in the Development Plan Scheme, • Improving the quality, access and effectively and efficiently processing planning availability of housing applications, and retaining the Service’s • Achieving the efficient and effective use of Customer Service Excellence accreditation. resources This is with a view to securing development • Promoting performance management and which can generate sustainable economic improvement and development and is of a high standard. • Embedding governance and accountability 1.2.9 The direction set by the Council Plan is 1.2.10 If the Planning Service is to deliver then used to define the objectives which each satisfactory outcomes in response to these Service in Community and Enterprise Resources actions its working practices and methods has to work towards. Planning is therefore need to be responsive to the demands required to: of its customers, and its staff need to have the skills and knowledge required to • Ensure that planning applications are deliver quality outcomes. Taking account assessed within an up to date development of the above the Service structures the plan framework. improvement actions set out in the PPF • Establish opportunities for sustainable around the need to:- economic growth through ensuring there is an adequate supply of housing, industry • Improve the user’s experience and and business land, and greenspace. increase their understanding of the • Provide services and infrastructure which Planning Service; help local communities to become more • Raise the Quality & Effectiveness of our sustainable Business Processes; and • Achieve results through leadership, good • Raise our Effectiveness in Assessing the governance and organisational effectiveness Quality of Development Proposals. Page 7 Planning Performance Framework 2016 - 2017 Chapter 1 Introduction Addressing and reviewing the Service’s land supply, application approval rate and performance against these aims also provides delegation rate. a means of aligning both its existing activities and the improvement actions in the PPF with Part 5 – Official Statistics – including average the aims and objectives set out in the Council timescales for determining applications, Plan, the SOA and the Council’s annual numbers of local reviews and appeals and Resource and Service plans. enforcement activity. 1.3 Planning Performance Part 6 – Workforce information. Framework 1.3.2 In terms of Part 2 of the PPF, Defining 1.3.1 The components of the PPF for 2016- & Measuring a High Quality Planning Service, 2017 are: previous PPFs categorised the performance factors in terms of how they contributed Part 1 – A performance assessment across 4 towards delivering certainty, consistency, areas of activities that define and measure