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Overview of the Planning System
Kathrine Haddrell, Senior Planning Officer, Cornwall County Council
The aim of the town and country planning system is to manage change in the use of land and building in order to meet the needs of society as a whole. Planning is a positive activity which seeks to improve the environment in our towns, cities and rural areas.
It seeks to resolve competing aspirations for the use of land, including:
- Protecting and enhancing the landscape and environment
- Meeting needs for homes, jobs and accessible facilities
- Recognising the demands of a competitive economy.
The planning system is based upon Development Plans which are prepared and adopted by local authorities within a framework of statute and advice provided by the Department of the environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).
The Development Plan in Cornwall comprises the following:
- Structure plan, produced by the County Council, setting out the broad polices for land use and transport for Cornwall.
- Local Plans, produced by the District Councils cover the whole of their area. They contain more specific land usr polices and act as the policy framework for most planning applications.
- Minerals and Waste Local Plans are prepared by the County Council and set out where such activities should take place and how to protect the local environment from the effect of these activities.
All plans are subject to statutory periods of public consultation during their preparation. This is when members of the public can comment on polices or proposals that may affect them, usually
Such periods of consultation are advertised in the local press or libraries.
Development Control
Most applications, apart from Minerals and Waste applications are decided by the District Council. Authorities must consider proposals against the Development Plan, taking into account all relevant polices, relating for example to design, traffic, environmental impact etc. Most planning applications are advertised and the public is given the chance to comment.
Where planning applications area refused consent, applicants have the right to appeal to the Secretary of State. Appeals are usually determined by an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State and this may involve a local hearing or public inquiry.