Agenda and minutes

Minute of Meeting of 2 November 2015 to be approved and signed by the Chairman.  (Copy attached.)

          MINUTE

1.      There had been circulated copies of the Minute of the Meeting held on 2 November 2015.

         DECISION

APPROVED for signature by the Chairman.

Consider the following applications for planning permission:-

          APPLICATIONS

2.      There had been circulated copies of reports by the Service Director Regulatory Services on applications for planning permission requiring consideration by the Committee.

         DECISION

         DEALT with the applications as detailed in Appendix I to this Minute.

Consider report by Service Director Regulatory Services.  (Copy attached.)

         APPEALS AND REVIEWS

3.      There had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Regulatory Services on Appeals to the Scottish Ministers and Local Reviews.

         DECISION

         NOTED that:-

(a)  there remained three appeals outstanding in respect of:

·         Land South East of Halmyre Mains Farmhouse (Hag Law), Romanno Bridge

·         Land West of Muircleugh Farmhouse, Lauder

·         Land North East and North West of Farmhouse Braidlie (Windy Edge),   

  Hawick;

(b)  a review request had been received in respect of the Installation of 2 No rooflights at Caroline Villa, Main Street, West Linton – 15/00662/FUL;

(c)       there were five Reviews outstanding in respect of the following:-

·        Plot A, Chirnside Station, Chirnside

·        Tushielaw Inn, Ettrick Valley, Selkirk

·        Land East of Park Lane, Croft Park, Croft Road, Kelso

·        Land South West of Northburn Caravan Park, Pocklaw Slap, Eyemouth

·         Land North of Spruce House, Romano Bridge, West Linton.

Consider Information note by Chief Planning Officer.  (Copy attached.)

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF PLANNING

4.       There had been circulated copies of an information note by the Chief Planning Officers, which referred to the Scottish Governments’ review of the planning system which was in the Governments programme for 2015/16.  The report explained that the review was being undertaken by an independent panel, chaired by Crawford Beveridge (Chair of Council of Economic Advisors), and also including Petra Biberach (Planning Aid Scotland) and John Hamilton (Scottish Property Federation).  The Panel’s Brief was to take a strategic perspective of planning and to be open to ‘game changing’ views and ideas.  The review focused on 6 keys issues – Development planning; Housing delivery; Planning for infrastructure; further improvements to development management; Leadership, resourcing an skills and Community engagement.  A series of questions had been set by the Review Panel to stimulate discussion and these were contained in the information note at Paper 1.  All written submissions were required by 1 December and in order to meet the tight deadline officers had prepared and submitted the response which was also contained in the note at Paper 2.  It was noted that the Panel would be inviting oral evidence from certain stakeholders, however this would be invitation only and there was no guarantee that SBC would be able to make further representations.  The Review aimed to conclude taking evidence by the end of January 2016 with the final report published by the end of March 2016.  Following a full and thorough debate of each of the questions, Members endorsed the Chief Planning Officer’s responses contained in the information note and made further supplementary observations for submission together with additional comments submitted by Councillor S Bell, which had been tabled at the meeting. 

          DECISION

          AGREED to endorse the responses submitted by the Chief Planning Officer and to submit the supplementary observations which are contained in Appendix II to the Minute together with additional comments submitted by Councillor S Bell, contained in Appendix III.

Before proceeding with the private business, the following motion should be approved:-

“That under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 7A to the aforementioned Act.”

PRIVATE BUSINESS

5.       DECISION

          AGREED under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the business detailed in Appendix IV to this Minute on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 6 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A to the aforementioned Act.

SUMMARY OF PRIVATE BUSINESS

         MINUTE

1.         The Committee considered the private section of the Minute of 2 November 2015.

The meeting concluded at 1 p.m.

Private Minute of 2 November 2015 to be approved and signed by the Chairman.  (Copy attached.)