9901: ANGUS DEVELOPMENT CONTROL EMPHASIS ON CUSTOMER CARE
This 1999 nomination by: Angus Council is for its development control emphasis on customer care. The Council is committed to customer care and providing quality services that can be easily understood by the public. As part of this commitment the Department of Planning and Transport's Service Plan 1998/99 stated that its planning objectives for Development Control included:-
1) Making the Development Control service easily understood and accessible to all members of the public.
2) Dealing with the planning application and other Development Control activities expeditiously and professionally.
3) Promoting good design in town and country.
Easily Understood Service
To make the service easily understood and accessible, the following documents have been produced:- Planning Handbook: -explains the planning system and answers some of the questions commonly asked by people who visit or telephone the Department. Development Control Charter: -provides information on the level of service provided by Development Control. It states what Development Control does, what standards the Planning Department aim to meet and what to do if the Department does not meet its stated standards of service delivery. Planning Enforcement Charter: -explains the nature and purpose of planning enforcement, how it fits into the Development Control process, the steps and procedures involved, what to expect at the various enforcement stages, and the standard of service that you can expect from Angus Council in planning enforcement matters. Conservation Charter: -explains Angus Council standards on listed buildings, conservation areas, advice for the built heritage and funding for the built heritage. Complaint Procedure: The Council operates a complaint procedure which is published in the Development Control and Enforcement Charters. To assist applicants with submissions for planning, listed building, conservation area or advertisement consent, the Department has revised its application forms to make them as simple and easily understood as possible. Each type of form is a different colour to avoid confusion and the back carries notes for guidance. As part of the revised forms, the neighbour notification and land ownership certificates have been simplified as far as possible in order to make them user friendly. In addition to the guidance notes provided on the back of various application forms, separate guidance is given on:-
1) How to apply for planning permission (with information on when a planning application is necessary, what happens to an application and an applicant's various rights during the process).
2) Neighbour notification guidance notes
3) How to comment on a planning application.
4) How to apply for listed building or conservation area consent.
5) Notes on how to appeal a planning decision.
Accessibility
To make the planning service accessible Development Control surgeries are held once a week in six burghs throughout the Council's area. At each of the surgeries members of the public can obtain advice from the Development Control Officer for the area on the general or specific planning matters. Information on the operation of Development Control including contacts and dates of Development Control meetings is available through the Council's Factbank and on the Internet. For any application considered by the Development Control Committee, the applicant, his or her agent and anybody who has made representations has the opportunity to speak to the committee if two days notice is given in writing. This undertaking by the Council particularly demonstrates its commitment to customer care as it considers it most important that all parties receive the right to put their case forward should they so wish.
Expeditious and professional applications handling
Angus Council realises the importance of timeous decisions for the public and applicants. It has always been well placed in performance tables published by the Scottish Office Development Department. For the period 1 April to 30 September 1997 (published in the latest Annual Report of the Planning Audit Unit, August 1998) Angus Council was first equal in respect of all applications decided in two months, being only one of three authorities that met or exceeded the Government's target of 80%. The Director of Planning and Transport believes this performance has not been at the expense of quality in decision making. From 1 January 1999 to mid September 1999 the Council was notified of 16 appeal decisions, all decided in its favour. This excellent record continues good appeal performance over a number of years. In addition to the above Angus Council indicates specific time dates by which decision notices will be issued, objectors informed of the planning decision, and letters regarding Development Control answered. To promote good design in town and country, Angus Council actively encourages pre-application discussions. It has produced a comprehensive set of design guidance notes, currently 24 in total: (Farm Buildings, Shopfronts and Signs in Conservation Areas, Roofspace Extensions, Car Parking and Front Gardens, Houses in Open Countryside, Backland Housing, Advertising in the Countryside, Dutch Canopies/Sun Blinds, Window Alterations, Shop Window Security, Residential Homes, Satellite Antennae, Residential Caravan Sites, Single plot Residential Development, Front Extensions, Garages in Communal Parking Areas, Miscellaneous Planning Policies, Hot Food Takeaways, Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas, Boundary Treatment, House Extensions, Siting and Landscaping of Built Development in the Countryside, Survey of Trees on Development Sites, Specification of Landscaping Proposals for Development Sites). As circumstances change these guidance notes are constantly reviewed and revised.
Customer Testing
As part of its Best Value Review the Development Control Service has been subject of a questionnaire survey undertaken in conjunction with the Audit Commission. Carried out over a six-month period, this measured customer expectation against actual satisfaction in service delivery. It covered a wide range of areas including staff attitudes and competency, standard of accommodation and facilities, and the adequacy of service delivered. Applicant, agents and objectors were separately distinguished to identify whether different groups had different requirements from the service. Informed by the survey findings, changes in service operating methods are proposed as part of the Development Control Best Value Improvement Plan. The Department intends holding annual meetings with agents that regularly use the service; the first has taken place. Angus Council has adopted an integrated and comprehensive approach which places importance on customer care for all aspects of Development Control service delivery. No single aspect of customer care is seen as stand alone but rather as an integral part of quality service delivery.
The judges asked for a presentation on this nomination. They were keen to explore many of the aspects of good practice outlined above. In response to questions the importance of allowing applicants and objectors to speak at committee was emphasised, along with the fact that the Angus development control record on appeal is not based on a lower rate of refusals. The judges would like Angus to note the desirability of seeking Plain English accreditation and warn of the potential inflexibility of design guidance. They would hope to see arrangements developed for regular user input. The judges expressed the view that all planning authorities should consider making arrangements for planning application forms to be obtained and submitted electronically. They were interested to hear of Angus Council's work with the Accounts Commission on aspects of service quality, and believe that planning authorities will need to do more to measure and respond to perceptions of the quality of service outcomes on the ground. The judges were encouraged by the approach to development control customer care described in this nomination and recommend it for 1999 Commendation in the development control category.