Published: 21/06/2021
COPELAND Council has one of the highest planning application approval rates in the country – and credits its free pre-application advice service for this success.
The council approved 99 per cent of all planning applications it received in 2020/21. The team says that the preliminary discussions offered to agents and applicants ahead of an application being lodged helps to identify any significant issues that may stand in the way of planning permission being granted, and allows them to be resolved early in the process.
Further to the approval rate, Copeland Council has one of the highest rates nationally for the speed in which it made decisions on planning applications in 2020/21, far exceeding government-set targets.
The end-of-year report shows:
- 100 per cent (13 out of 13) of ‘major’ planning applications, including large housing estates and office space, determined within a 13-week deadline (against a 65 per cent target)
- 99 per cent (354 out of 358) of ‘minor’ and ‘other’ planning applications, including smaller housing estates, non-major office/retail space and domestic alterations, determined within an eight-week deadline (against a 80 per cent target)
- 85 per cent of planning appeals lodged against the council’s decision were dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “This is an outstanding achievement for the team which puts it, once again, among the country’s best.
“For the fifth consecutive year, our Planning department has not only achieved government-set targets, but surpassed every one of them by a significant margin.
“For this to be achieved during the Covid pandemic – and the challenges this has created for the team – is phenomenal and they deserve tremendous credit.”
Nick Hayhurst, Copeland Council’s Planning and Place Manager, said: “We are thrilled with our performance statistics for 2020/21, and we are lucky to have such a dedicated and talented team.
“The discussions we have with applicants and agents at the pre-application stage ensure that the proposals are submitted in a form where they have a reasonable chance of obtaining planning permission, and this is reflected in the high number of applications approved.
"Whilst speed of decision is important, this is not at the expense of the quality of the outcome and we work hard to achieve high quality development. In seeking consistently high standards, developers know that a timely decision is predicated on the submission of high quality applications.”
For more information about Copeland Council’s free pre-application advice, visit www.copeland.gov.uk/pre-application-advice
