Item 7 - Appendix 1
West Dunbartonshire Council · 6 August 2025
Back to Planning Committee — 6 August 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 NATIONAL PLANNING IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK Performance Assessment Template Cohort 3 May 2025 ITEM 7 - APPENDIX 1
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2 Planning Authority: West Dunbartonshire Council Lead officer: Michael Mulgrew Email: development.management@west- dunbarton.gov.uk Phone number: 0141 951 7930 West Dunbartonshire Local Context West Dunbartonshire Council covers an area of around 98 square miles and serves a population of approximately 88,000, within a mixed urban and rural area in the west of Scotland. Forming part of the Glasgow city-region and sitting along the River Clyde, the planning authority area includes the main urban areas of Clydebank, Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven, and features such as the Kilpatrick Hills, Forth and Clyde Canal and Antonine Wall. The planning authority area excludes those parts of West Dunbartonshire within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (parts of Balloch and the countryside to the east and west of Loch Lomond). The National Park Authority produces its own National Planning Improvement Framework.
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3 Service Structure Planning sits within the larger Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Service, which in turn sits within the Regulatory and Regeneration Service. We sit under a Chief Officer who reports directly to the Chief Executive. The service manager covers a wide remit as outlined in the service structure below. The service is the largest within the Regulatory and Regeneration service by FTE, with 41.9 FTE posts. The planning service has undergone a small restructure with the removal of the Team Leader Development Planning and Place post and the creation of a new Principal Officer post that covers a wider remit, including management of the Antonine Wall Project Manager and Development Officer, and the Placemaking Co-Ordinator post. The Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Service Manager also acts as the Chief Planning Officer as required by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. The planning only structure of the service is outlined below. The service is small but busy, focused on achieving quality placemaking outcomes.
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4 Note – Technical Support is a shared resource with Building Standards As of 1st May 2025, the service is operating with 2 vacant posts. A Lead Planning Officer post has been appointed and will be in post by the end of May 2025 and a Support Assistant post is currently going through the recruitment process. Planning Performance Framework 2022/2023 In our last PPF (2023) we noted a number of service improvements for the 2023/2024 period. An update on progress with these actions are outlined below. Improvement Action Progress at January 2025 We will reorganise the Planning and Building Standards files on the Council’s network. Action complete We will implement IDOX Enterprise for Uniform workflow management system. Action complete We will develop a business case for full IDOX/Uniform document management system and submit a growth bid for implementation through the 2024/2025 budget. Action complete. The Business case was agreed, and funding secured, in December 2024. Work has commenced to procure and implement this system. Hold a Service Day. Action partially complete. A service improvement plan and team building afternoon was carried out in February 2025. This action will be carried forward and include the wider service, including Environmental Health.
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5 Hold a Planning and Building Standards Forum for users of the service. Action incomplete. This will be carried forward. Review Local Review process and procedures. Action complete Investigate the possibility of new tablets to support field work. Action incomplete. This will be carried forward into team workplans Revise the planning application committee report template. Action in progress. A revised template is expected to be in place later this year. Review the Planning Scheme of Delegation. Action in progress. Early work on a revised scheme is underway and further engagement will take place later 2025 with corporate leadership and elected members. Review of Committee processes and procedures. Action incomplete. This will be carried forward. Progress on service improvement work has been impacted during 2024 due to several vacancies across the service, including a vacant service manager post between April and August 2024 and a vacant line manager post in Development Planning and Place since February 2024. Other vacancies over this period included a GIS technician, Support Assistant and a Lead Planning Officer within Development Management.
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6 NPIF Process Our assessment process included a stakeholder meeting to review our draft assessment, good practice examples and draft improvement actions. This meeting took place on the 15th May and all documents were issued 1 week earlier. The meeting took place in person at the Council Offices. Whilst some attendees unfortunately had to drop out on the day, the workshop was well attended and collaborative. Attendees are noted below: Attendees Alistair Conarty – West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum / Old Kilpatrick Community Council Darius Jack – National Planning Improvement Officer (Improvement Service) Keith Johnston – Planning and Building Standards Team Leader (Clackmannanshire Council) Clare Laurenson – Principal Officer Development Planning and Place (West Dunbartonshire Council) James McColl – Development Management Team Leader (West Dunbartonshire Council) Craig McLaren – National Planning Improvement Champion (Improvement Service) Michael Mulgrew – Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Service Manager / Chief Planning Officer (West Dunbartonshire Council) Kevin Murphy – Homes for Scotland (written comments only) Isobel Plunkett – West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum / Clydebank East Community Council Susan Rintoul – National Planning Improvement Project Officer (Improvement Service) Elaine Troup (Facilitator) - Economic Development Manager (West Dunbartonshire Council) Mark Walsh – Environmental Health Co-Ordinator (West Dunbartonshire Councill) Kevin Yoong – Key Agency Representative (Scottish Water) Louise Ewing – Director Bruach Architects Observer/Note Taker Eva Hutchison – Technical Support officer (West Dunbartonshire Council) We extend our thanks again to all those who attended for their time and valuable feedback at the workshop.
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7 Overall, attendees agreed with many aspects of our performance and scoring and provided constructive feedback on many areas. A summary of comments and the Planning Authorities response is provided in the table below. Workshop Comment Planning Authority Comments Communication – Participants agreed this was important and suggested there should be an additional action to improve on community involvement and customer communication. Make better use of Community Councils as we have less resources. Ensure engagement is tailored to audience and make it as accessible and simple as possible. We agree with these comments, but rather than an individual action, we believe that the groups feedback is best represented by ensuring communication is embedded into everything we do. As well as being worked into general workplans, this will also feature in the Team Improvement Plans, and this has been specifically highlighted in the improvement actions. Meaning of “Appropriate Development” - Participants felt that the scoring against attribute 12, delivery of appropriate development, does not tie with LRB record. We note the concerns raised by participants. The NPIF guidance notes that attribute 12 refers to “The Planning Authority Supports the Delivery of Consented Development” and the prompts include, the proportionate use of Section 75’s and conditions, aswell as processing agreements and Delivery programmes. This would appear to be different from the participants understanding of the attribute. However, on reflection and looking at the matter holistically, we have agreed to amend our scoring from 1 to 2 to reflect the constructive feedback from the group. Added Value - Participants agreed we should make the capturing of added value a higher priority to show how we are working together to achieve placemaking outcomes We agree with these comments and have amended the importance from low to high and from medium term to short term. Training for Elected Members – Participants supported elected training for members involved in taking planning decisions. Noted. Better reflect the challenges of the service – Participants noted that we should be clearer on the challenges the service faces in terms of systems and recruitment and retention. We note the constructive feedback from the group and the narrative for Attribute 1 has been amended to reflect this comment. Back-office document management – Participants agreed there were significant challenges and we should produce guidance on how we want files submitted. We note the concerns raised by participants and we hope this matter will be addressed by future changes. The NPIF guidance notes that attribute 7 refers to “The Planning Authority makes best use of data and digital
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8 Participants also questioned the scoring for attribute 7 considering these challenges. technology” and the prompts include encouraging and promoting the use of the e- development portal and the ability to use interactive web-mapping, GIS and spatial data. Whilst we believe that within this attribute, we are making the best use of data and digital technology, we do recognise that there may be a mismatch when considered in the context of our current back-office system capabilities and public planning portal. We have amended this scoring to 3 to better reflect the feedback of participants, however, we continue to include our best practice example in relation to GIS. Scheme of Delegation – Participants agreed with review of Scheme of Delegation and noted that it is important that Elected Members are seeing the “right” applications. Suggestion that Matters Specified in Conditions Applications are delegated to officers where the Planning Permission in Principle has been decided by Planning Committee. Feedback noted. Team Improvement Plans – Participants agreed and supported this action but raised some concerns over the ability to resource improvements. There may be opportunities to share training costs with other authorities. We note the feedback from the group. Whilst it may be challenging, it is nonetheless important to ensure that the Team Improvement Plans capture the individual improvement actions so that they can be monitored. The plans will be kept up to date and reflect realistic timescales for completion. Enforcement Charter – Participants agreed with this action but suggested that the Development Management Customer Charter should also be reviewed. The feedback from the group is noted. Whilst this would be picked up in the Team Improvement Plans as part of our process reviews, we have amended this action to include the review of the charter. Service Day – Participants agreed with this action but suggested that it needs to add value to officers and should be followed up with identified actions. Staff morale was also discussed as part of this and participants agreed that it is important to “celebrate success”. Noted.
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9 Agents forum - Participants agreed this action and suggested that it should be a 2- way discussion forum. Participants also suggested that there should be a parallel Community Council forum. We note the feedback from the group. This emerged from the communication theme discussed above. We are embedding clarity of communication into individual actions in Team Improvement Plans, and we will consider this as part of this our normal engagement actions with Community Councils and the Community Council forum, particularly regarding the progression of the Development Plan. Development Management Conditions – Participants agreed this but suggested that it should be brought forward given its importance. We note the feedback from the group. Whilst we agree the conditions review is important, there is national work currently taking place on standard conditions and the timescale noted in the action is intended to tie in with this. This does not mean that improvements to our conditions will not be made, but rather that our timescales accord with the national workstream.
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10 A high performing planning authority needs to have the right number of people to do the work expected of it with the rights skills set. It also needs to have a strategy to ensure that it retains and recruits the right staff in the future. It supports staff to upskill and to be prepared for changes in policy, legislation, and new circumstances. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have the sufficient level of staff to carry out all activities within the required timeframes? • Does the planning authority have the ability to carry out all activities within the required timeframes with its current budget? • Does the planning authority have the ability to carry out all activities within the required timeframes with its current income? • Does the planning authority received responses from consultees within the prescribed timescale when assessing planning applications? • Does the planning authority have the ability to access the appropriate advice, expertise, evidence and data it requires? Narrative The Planning Authority has had difficulty regarding recruitment and retention of planners for several years in common with many other Planning Authorities. There is a nationally recognised skills shortage, and a government and industry led drive to increase the number of planners coming into the system is currently under way. 2024 had been a particularly challenging year in part due to the number of vacancies within the Planning service (Service Manager, Principal Officer Development Planning and Place, Placemaking Co-Ordinator, Lead Planning Officer, GIS Officer and Support Assistant), as well as across the wider service in Building Standards and Environmental Health. Alongside significant system issues, the vacancies placed the service under considerable pressure. Continued pressure on Local Authority budgets requires difficult decisions to be made to the way in which all council services are delivered, and planning (along with the wider service) have not been immune to these pressures. This has resulted in a ATTRIBUTE 1: THIS PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS SUFFICIENT RESOURCES AND SKILLS TO MAXIMISE PRODUCTIVITY
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11 restructure of the planning service and a reduction in headcount over the last few years, including the removal of enforcement/compliance posts within Development Management and a Planning Policy Officer post within Development Planning and Place. As a smaller authority, the planning service has limited specialised posts, for example there are no conservation, archaeology, landscape design or tree specialists within the service, due to cost and insufficient numbers of applications requiring dedicated specialist support. However, we do have a specialist design post, Placemaking Co-Ordinator. Where other specialised support is required, this is generally procured externally, and archaeological advice is provided by the West of Scotland Archaeological Society (WoSAS). Outwith the planning service, the service has access to specialist advice provided by other parts of the Council, including, Biodiversity, a Tree Officer (although the planning service processes all tree work consents), Roads, Flooding and Environmental Health. As with all Council services, the demands placed on services can result in delays and the service seeks to work proactively with other services to streamline input when required. Feedback around specific areas of concern from customers and officers are being taken forward as part of the continual streamlining of the Development Management process in relation to consultations. To balance competing demands, the service has sought to maximise income from discretionary charging and currently charges for a broad range of discretionary activities, such as pre- application advice, discharge of conditions and non-material variations and the maximum 25% allowed by regulations for retrospective applications. Despite the challenging environment in which the service works, the service provides as an efficient, clear and proportionate service as possible. A culture of continuous individual, professional and service improvement is embedded within all parts of the service. The table below sets out some key facts about the structure of the service, including the number of full MRTPI qualified planners.
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12 Section Post Type FTE Permanent Posts Vacancies FTE MRTPI Posts Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Service Manager (Chief Planning Officer) 1 0 1 Development Planning and Place Principal Officer 1 0 1 Core LDP Team 1 0 1 Placemaking Co- Ordinator 1 0 1 Special Projects (Antonine Wall) 1.6 0 0 Development Management Team Leader 1 0 1 Core DM Team 4 1 0 Total 10.6 1 5 As noted previously, the vacant post outlined above in the Core DM team has been appointed and will be in post shortly. By the end of May, the planning teams will be fully staffed within the current structure. The current age range of the planning teams is outlined in the graphs below.
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13 The analysis of the age range within the service indicates that whilst there are no immediate issues in terms of succession planning, the service does not currently have any officers in the under 30 bracket, indicating that perhaps more can be done to encourage younger planners by exploring opportunities for the introduction of graduate/assistant type posts as part of any future service redesign. An analysis of planning fee income over the period 1st April 2019 until 31st March 2024, shows an inconsistent fee income, and has ranged from a low of £178,673 in 2020/2021 to a high of £418,691 in 2023/2024. This reflects the wider economic challenges seen across all Planning Authorities as well as the influence of overall small numbers of major planning applications. The average fee income over this period is £226,012. Additional unfunded duties arising from the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 have increased pressure on limited staff time and resources. The most immediate pressure is within the Development Planning and Place Team with regards to the preparation of the new Development Plan. Work on the evidence report is underway and the latest Development Plan Scheme, approved by Planning Committee in December 2024, introduced a 7-month delay to the timetable. Partly due to more time being required to ensure the evidence report is robust, taking account of feedback from the DPEA to authorities that have already went through gate check, and partly due to pressure on existing resources. The service is working collaboratively with colleagues across the service contributing to evidence report work in some way. The current scheme targets submission to gatecheck in July. This is proving to be challenging, and the service is keeping this target under close review to
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14 ensure that a robust evidence report is produced prior to submitting. Further updates will be given to Planning Committee as required to update the scheme. The Development Management Team is a small but busy team. The team is set up to be an all- area general team, with no division by application type or by geographical area. This allows for a nimble approach to planning applications and ensures that all officers receive a broad range of applications to support service delivery needs as well as their own professional and personal development. Looking at previous 5-year trends (2019/2020 - 2023/2024), on average, the service annually determines: Development Management performance is mixed, with clear highlights and some areas identified for improvement. The Scottish Government has set a target that 80% of all local applications should be determined within 2 months. The service is currently underperforming in this regard, but broadly comparable to the national average for local applications. The graph below shows that over the period 1st April 2023 until 31st December 2024, performance has generally slowed and the 80% target is not being met. For local applications the service was below the national average of 63.7% for 23/24. The Council has however generally performed significantly better than the national average for Major applications.
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15 Despite the 80% target not being met, the service can demonstrate generally good performance against the statutory determination periods. Comparing the chart below to the national average, using this metric, the service is performing well against other authorities. For 23/24 the service was significantly faster at determining major applications than the national average of 36.1 weeks. Despite a slowdown in the 1st April to 31st December 2024 timescales, this is still well below this national average. In terms of all local applications, again the authority is ahead of the national average of 11.6 weeks for 23/24.
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16 The Development Management team are particularly impacted by current back-office arrangements that are directly resulting in slower performance than the service believes it can achieve. As the back-office system is split between 2 providers (IDOX for Uniform case management and Civica for document management) it is increasingly becoming incompatible with service requirements and is resulting in manual processes and difficulties for both customers and staff to be able to consistently view full planning files via the planning portal and document management system. In 2024 the service rolled out Enterprise workflow for Uniform and this has resulted in improvements to workflow and automation, however, a business case has been accepted and funding secured for a significant investment in a new document management system that is fully integrated with the case management system. This will bring the service into line with other Scottish authorities, and is expected to deliver significant officer, customer and performance improvements. This will be implemented in stages across 2025/2026. As part of this implementation, a full review of all workflows and templates is being undertaken to implement a lean process environment, remove duplication and utilise the workflow to enable a more thorough project management approach to development management applications, including utilisation of measures such as Planning Processing Agreements. This is a significant commitment by the service and may impact performance in the short term as resources will be required to be split between day-to-day processing and these wider service changes, but it is expected to result in longer term process and performance improvements.
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17 Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have a workforce planning strategy in place? • Does the planning authority have the ability to support staff development and upskilling and send staff on relevant courses? • Does the planning authority have a deliverable commitment to support staff health and wellbeing? Narrative The Planning Authority does not currently have a formal workforce strategy in place. However, the service sees the value in preparing such a strategy to support the training and development of existing staff and to also seek to address succession planning and to explore the suitability of the current structure and the possibility of introducing an alternative staff structure that supports the development of graduates to gain experience to then qualify to submit for MRTPI (Chartered) status. This would be done in conjunction with Building Standards. Irrespective of a formal strategy, continuous improvement amongst the team is embedded and officers are encouraged by the Chief Planning Officer and line managers to continue to seek opportunities for training, development and collaboration. Example events that officers have ATTRIBUTE 2: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS A VALUED AND SUPPORTED WORKFORCE
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18 recently attended include In addition to the above formal events, officers have carried out some service benchmarking exercises, in conjunction with Building Standards, with both Argyll and Bute Council and Stirling Council. As outlined above, there has been challenges with recruitment in the past and there is a national shortage of qualified planners and supporting disciplines. However, the service remains committed to supporting individuals and the profession and exploring opportunities regarding the new University of West of Scotland planning course. All eligible officers are encouraged to work towards MRTPI status, and the service will support officers to do so. We have also recently supported a placement from a student from the University of Glasgow who was studying GIS. They supported the GIS officer and Development Planning and Place projects that will support LDP Evidence Report workstreams. The service is committed to continue working in partnership with HOPS, the RTPI, Scottish Government and planning universities to support planning as a career choice and to explore opportunities for mentoring or work experience opportunities that we can offer. Staff wellbeing is important to the service. As the service is compact, sudden unplanned absences or increases in workload can be a source of stress and pressure for staff as it is difficult to absorb such pressures. All officers are encouraged to be open and honest with their line manager about their current workload and a collaborative approach to mitigating pressures
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19 as much as possible is in place with line managers assisting in prioritising tasks in the most effective manner as the circumstances dictate. Corporately, the Council has a range of health and wellbeing supports available and staff are encouraged to make use of these where appropriate. It is recognised however, that despite a proactive approach, at times demand outstrips resources, and unavoidable pressures and delays will occur. Line managers regularly report to the Chief Planning Officer emerging issues to ensure high levels of communication and discussion around ways in which capacity may be unlocked. At a corporate level flexible working arrangements are built into contracts and working arrangements can be tailored to meet particular needs and situations that are balanced to ensure an appropriate level of service delivery is maintained.
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20 Improvement Action Plan (People theme) Attribute Score (1=Making excellent progress, 5= No progress) 1. The planning authority has sufficient resources and skills to maximise productivity 3 The service is currently maximising productivity within the available resources. However, further detailed workforce, capacity and budget planning is required to ensure that service performance can adequately respond to both internal and external pressures on the service. The workforce strategy will also require reviewing the dependencies of other Council services to support the delivery of both the Development Plan and the Development Management process. 2. The planning authority has a value and supported workforce 3 The service is currently maximising training and development opportunities within existing resources. The development of a workforce strategy will ensure that officers are supported to carry out their role and their professional development. Based on the grading above, outline any areas of improvement that are required and by whom and their level of importance (High/ Medium/ Low) and by when (short/ medium/ long term).
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21 Improvement Action What action will you take? What will the outcome be? Owner Importance High Medium Low Timescale Short term – 1 year Medium term – 3 years Long term – 3+ years Resources Implement the new back- office document management system and carry out a full end-to-end review of all workflow processes Chief Planning Officer, Development Management Team Leader, Technical Support Co-Ordinator High Short term All service staff will be required to support this process in some way. In conjunction with IDOX and ICT, a project board will be established. Develop a workforce strategy and service training plan, including any options/opportunities for restructure or cases for investment Chief Planning Officer High Medium term Chief Officers for relevant service areas, finance and organisational development and People and Change partner.
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22 A high performing planning authority has a positive culture through ensuring it has sound governance, effective leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement. The authority has an identified chief planner, who is supported by a strong leadership group to advise on decision-making, policy and operational management. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Has the planning authority undertaken an annual assessment of its performance and acted upon areas previously identified as in need of improvement? • Has the planning authority achieved recognition at relevant awards or through performance accreditation frameworks? • Has the planning authority engaged in peer review, good practice exchange or improvement activities? • Has the planning authority addressed any complaints upheld by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and have evidence of this and that it has learned from valid cases? Narrative The service regularly undertakes assessment of processes and current processes. This was previously mostly done through the Planning Performance Framework, and we continue to report on performance 6 monthly to the Scottish Government As a result of continuous improvement, a number of actions are underway to improve performance, customer experience and reporting. Workstreams and actions recently implemented or underway include: ➢ Revised templates for both committee and delegated reports of handling to remove duplication and to make them clearer and more concise ➢ Revised decision notice templates and the introduction of a cover letter to highlight the legislative requirements to ensure that conditions are discharged, and the required notices are completed (Notification of Initiation of Development and Notification of Completion of Development) ➢ A revised document naming protocol to improve clarity of the application casefile ATTRIBUTE 3: THIS PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS EMBEDDED CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT.
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23 ➢ Enterprise digital workflow introduced and there is an ongoing commitment to refining processes where possible in advance of full IDOX integration ➢ Procedure notes completed for Technical Support Team processes ➢ Updating the Development Planning webpages to improve visibility of work related to the next Development Plan ➢ Cleansing of internal file drive folder structure ➢ Planning and Building Standards will take part in the trial of sharepoint in advance of a wider Council rollout Officers regularly engage with authorities across Scotland to share knowledge and practice exchange via several routes. The Chief Planning Officer is the current Junior Vice Chair of the Development Planning Sub-committee of HOPS, and The Principal Officer Development Planning and Place provides additional representation on this committee and an officer sits on the Climate Change Energy and Resources Committee. The service is also represented on Mineral Officers Working Group. The Development Management Team Leader represents the service on the Development Management Sub-Committee. Alongside these formal committees, officers regularly make use of the KHUB HOPS forum. West Dunbartonshire forms part of the wider Glasgow City Region, formally the Clydeplan Strategic Development Planning area, and continues to take part in regional working, with representation at both strategic Chief Officer and officer levels. The Council has a robust 2 stage complaints process. By its nature, planning processes can often result in dissatisfaction regarding an application processing or outcome or how an objection has been handled. The Council has a written procedure for dealing with complaints and the escalation to stage 2 where complaints cannot be addressed at a service level. Over the period 1st April 2023 – 31st December 2024, 4 complaints were escalated to the SPSO, however in all cases the complaints were not taken forward by them. The service is committed to learning from any feedback provided by the SPSO or others that we can action to improve the service.
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24 Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have an effective scheme of delegation in place? • Have all councillors who exercise a planning function undergone statutory training and is there is evidence of ongoing training for members? • Have more than x % of officer recommendations have been overturned by councillors at committee or Local Review Body. Narrative The planning service’s current scheme of delegation is due to be refreshed this year as it is more than 5 years old and is required to be updated. The scheme is generally considered to have been effective to balance the need for efficient decision making and ensuring elected members have sufficient oversight of planning applications and policy formation. However, as it has been some time since the scheme was updated and there has been significant changes to the Development Plan system and pressures on the planning service, the review will consider what changes may be required to the scheme to ensure it remains proportionate and effective and allows the best use of time and resources by both officers and elected members. All non-delegated development management applications and development planning matters are reported to a single Planning Committee, comprising of a cross-party representation of 10 of the Council’s 22 elected members. The Local Review Body sits separately from Planning Committee but consists of the same members. All members have access to specific planning training, whether they sit on Planning Committee or not and a refresher course was offered in December 2024. Committee overturns of officer's recommendation are quite low, with 92% of officer's recommendations being accepted by members. In comparison, over the same period, members sitting as the Local Review Body overturned 100% of all delegated decisions where a review had been sought. Whilst this is quite a high rate, the number of overall applications considered by the LRB, is a low figure, compared to the number of applications. ATTRIBUTE 4: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS SOUND GOVERNANCE
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25 The Local Review Body data can be contrasted with DPEA data. Whilst numbers of appeals for planning applications and enforcement notice appeals are low, DPEA have dismissed the appeals in both cases. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have an identified Chief Planning Officer in place? ATTRIBUTE 5: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
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26 • Does the Chief Planning Officer advise on corporate decision making and policy within the broader organisation? • Is the planning authority's Chief Planning Officer a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute? • Does the Chief Planning Officer advise and support external bodies through engagement in organisations’ committees, advisory groups or working groups? • Does the planning authority have a strong leadership team that supports a culture of continuous improvement? Narrative The Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Service Manager carries out the Chief Planning Officer function. The Chief Planning Officer is supported by the Principal Officer Development Planning and Place and the Development Management Team Leader, both MRTPI qualified. The Chief Planning officer is MRTPI qualified and has over 11 years’ experience in Local Government Planning Authorities, across both Development Planning and Development Management. As noted in attribute 3, the Chief Planning Officer regularly inputs into work by HOPS and the Improvement Service and is the current Junior Vice Chair of the Development Planning Sub- Committee. They also collaborate and engage with regional authorities through the Glasgow City Region working arrangements. Whilst not a Chief Officer in terms of the Council’s organisation structure, the Chief Planning Officer provides strategic planning support to the Council’s Chief Officers and Chief executive to encourage and support the integration of corporate and service level outcomes with good placemaking outcomes and to promote the value of the planning service across the Council. They sit on a variety of project boards providing high visibility of the planning service, for example the City Deal project board for the Exxon development site and the Housing Emergency Action Plan Project Board. The Chief Planning Officer meets with the Chief Officer Regulatory and Regeneration individually, and collectively with the other service managers, monthly to discuss wider service and corporate issues. Within the service, the Chief Planning Officer mirrors this approach with a programme of formal monthly catch ups, individually and collectively, with the Principal Officers for Environmental Health and Development Planning and Place, the Development Management and Building Standards Team Leaders and Technical Support Co-ordinator. These meetings focus on day-to-day issues as well as having a focus on service improvement workstreams. These formal catch ups are supplemented by regular informal catch ups on specific issues with officers at all levels.
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27 Improvement Action Plan (Culture theme) Attribute Score (1=Making excellent progress, 5= No progress) 3. This Planning Authority has embedded continuous improvement 1 Despite resource and system challenges, the service continually seeks ways in which processes can be streamlined or enhanced and this approach is embedded into all service workstreams. 4. This Planning Authority has sound governance 3 The service has effective governance structures; however, these are required to be reviewed 5. This Planning Authority has effective leadership 1 The service has a Chief Planning Officer in place and supports the culture of continuous improvement Based on the grading above, outline any areas of improvement that are required and by whom and their level of importance (High/ Medium/ Low) and by when (short/ medium/ long term). Improvement Action What action will you take? What will the outcome be? Owner Importance High Medium Low Timescale Short term – 1 year Medium term – 3 years Long term – 3+ years Resources Complete review of Scheme of Delegation to ensure it is proportionate Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader High Short term Chief Planning Officer, Legal Manager, Chief Officer Regulatory and Regeneration and Elected Members
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28 Implement the new back- office document management system and carry out a full end-to-end review of all workflow processes Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader/ Technical Support Co-Ordinator High Short term All service staff will be required to support this process in some way. In conjunction with IDOX and ICT, a project board will be established. Finalise review of committee and delegated Reports of Handling Templates to ensure that they are proportionate and are clear and easy to be understood by a variety of audiences Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader Medium Short term Chief Planning Officer, Development Management Team Leader and Democratic and Registration Services Manager Produce detailed team improvement plans, focusing on improvements that increase efficiency and are clear, including increasing the quality of our customer communication Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader/ Principal Officer Development Planning and Place / Technical Support Co-Ordinator High Short Term All service staff
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29 A high performing planning authority needs to have an effective local development plan and other strategies in place to provide a vision for the future of the area. It needs to be able to set and deliver on policy ambitions and priorities by clearly informing decision making and providing certainty and predictability for communities, developers and investment. The authority’s development management systems need to be effective in making the right decisions about development and be efficient as possible in doing this. The planning authority makes best use of digital technology and how it manages and uses data. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have an up to date Local Development Plan in place and/ or is on track to adoption? • Does the planning authority have an up to date Regional Spatial Strategy in place/ or on track to adoption? • Has the planning authority’s Local Development Plan Evidence Report been approved by the Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals and/ or on track for approval? • Have the application of the Local Development Plan’s policies been found to be deficient at appeal or judicial review? Narrative West Dunbartonshire does not have an up-to-date Local Development Plan. The current Local Plan was adopted in 2010, and the Council does not have an adopted “new-style” Development Plan. The Council did not adopt Local Development Plan 1, and the Council was under direction from Scottish Ministers to not adopt the Proposed Local Development Plan 2 unless all required modifications were implemented. The Council ultimately declined to accept one of the modifications and therefore did not adopt the plan. The Proposed Plan, as modified, was published, but not adopted, and as the Council’s most up to date expression of local development plan policies and spatial strategy, it forms a significant material consideration in the determination of planning applications. ATTRIBUTE 6: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS A ROBUST POLICY AND EVIDENCE BASE
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30 The service is focused on the delivery of Local Development Plan 3 and the most recently approved Development Plan Scheme (December 2024) programmes adoption of the plan in January 2028. The evidence report is currently being prepared, with a target for submission to gatecheck in summer 2025. The current timescale has been extended by a period of 7 months since the publication of the original Development Plan Scheme, and as outlined above, this is being kept under review. In terms of a Regional Spatial Strategy, the Council is working collaboratively within the Glasgow City Region to produce a regional spatial strategy in the future. In 2020/2021 the region, under the previous Clydeplan arrangements, collaborated to produce an indicative Regional Spatial Strategy to input into, what was then, the emerging National Planning Framework 4. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Has the planning authority encouraged and promoted planning applications to be submitted through the e-development portal? • Does the planning authority have a data governance strategy in place for the management of planning data? • Does the planning authority have the ability to use interactive web-mapping, GIS and spatial data? • Does the planning authority have the ability to use digital approaches to engagement, including website, social media and other platforms? Narrative The service seeks to direct all applications to the eDevelopment Scotland portal for all submissions, including post application submission documents. The available data shows that the service achieves over 90% of all planning application submissions via the portal. Whilst not all applications can be made through this portal, the service has online forms that allow the digital submission of pre-applications, requests for non-material variations and requests to discharge conditions. The service focuses on the best use of digital technology and the move to an integrated case management and document management solution will allow further refinement to our end-to-end digital processes. ATTRIBUTE 7: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY MAKES BEST USE OF DATA AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
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31 Whilst there is no corporate level GIS team, the service has a GIS officer who works collaboratively with other council services to ensure the best use of GIS. At a service level, GIS is well developed and well-integrated with service procedures. Our GIS system is currently undergoing a number of updates. It is a key component to the services approach to managing development plan data and evidence report work. Planning, as part of the wider Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health service, has a social media presence on X, formally Twitter. However, its continued use and value as an engagement tool is under review. The service regularly liaises with the Council’s corporate communication team to promote development plan work and in relation to applications that are to be considered by the Planning Committee. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority planning have the ability to make decisions on planning applications within the required timeframes? • Are less than x% of planning decisions overturned at appeal or judicial review? • Does the planning authority have an up to date Enforcement Charter in place? • Does the planning authority have the ability to resolve enforcement cases? Narrative Commentary on planning performance is covered within attribute 1 of this assessment. It is considered that the service, whilst performing well within the level of resources and IT challenges, is generally performing slower than the statutory targets. We are however performing well against national averages. Recruitment into both the Development Planning and Place, and Development Management teams, and the upcoming investment in IT infrastructure (covered in attribute 1), alongside the ongoing review of processes and procedures, are expected to have a positive impact on performance. Regarding planning enforcement, our Planning Enforcement Charter was last updated in December 2022. The charter was due to be renewed by December 2024, however, due to resource challenges this did not take place. The service expects to have a revised charter in place by December 2025. Notwithstanding that the charter was not reviewed and republished, a “light touch” mini review has satisfied the service that the charter remains fit for purpose and provides clear guidance on how enforcement breaches will be investigated by the authority until the fuller review later this year. We have clear processes and an electronic form on our website to submit all enquiries. ATTRIBUTE 8: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT DECSION MAKING PROCESSES
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32 The service previously had a dedicated 1 FTE enforcement role; however, this resource was removed in October 2021. All enforcement procedures are carried out by Development Management case officers. Whilst this works well for reactive planning enforcement, due to current resources, proactive monitoring is a challenge. However, as noted in other parts of this assessment, it is hoped that the recent recruitment into the service will improve this situation and allow for enhancements to the monitoring regime. Enforcement case details from the 1st April 2023 until 31st December 2024 are noted in the table below.
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33 Improvement Action Plan (Tools theme) Attribute Score (1=Making excellent progress, 5= No progress) 6. The planning authority has a robust policy and evidence base 3 Whilst work is underway to prepare LDP3, the authority does not have an up-to-date Development Plan in place 7. The planning authority makes best use of data and digital technology 3 The service makes extensive use of digital data and technology with regards to GIS, but has significant issues with the back office system 8. The planning authority has effective and efficient decision making processes 3 The service has effective and efficient decision making processes in many aspects of DM performance but overall performance could be further enhanced and Scheme of Delegation requires review Based on the grading above, outline any areas of improvement that are required and by whom and their level of importance (High/ Medium/ Low) and by when (short/ medium/ long term). Improvement Action What action will you take? What will the outcome be? Owner Importance High Medium Low Timescale Short term – 1 year Medium term – 3 years Long term – 3+ years Resources Implement the new back- office document management system and carry out a full end-to-end Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team High Short term All service staff will be required to support this process in some way. In conjunction with IDOX and
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34 review of all workflow processes Leader/ Technical Support Co-Ordinator ICT, a project board will be established. Finalise review of committee and delegated Reports of Handling Templates to ensure that they are proportionate and are clear and easy to be understood by a variety of audiences Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader Medium Short term Chief Planning Officer, Development Management Team Leader and Democratic and Registration Services Manager Produce detailed team improvement plans, focusing on improvements that increase efficiency and are clear, including increasing the quality of our customer communication Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader/ Principal Officer Development Planning and Place / Technical Support Co-Ordinator High Short Term All service staff Undertake review of the Development Management and Enforcement Charters and processes to ensure they remain fit for purpose. Development Management Team Leader Medium Short Term Development Management Team
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35 A high performing planning authority should ensure a wide range of people are involved in shaping their future places. Engagement should be fair and inclusive, early, collaborative, meaningful and proportionate and should include difficult to reach groups. The authority should engage with a wide range of partners at a national, regional and local level to ensure a joined-up approach and that links are made across policies and programmes. The planning authority should demonstrate good customer care, transparency and effective communication. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have the ability to offer pre-application advice where it is requested? • Has the planning authority held regular engagement events with developers and communities? • Do the results from the customer and stakeholder survey show that customers are satisfied with the service offer by the planning authority? Narrative This narrative is addressed within the narrative for attribute 10. ATTRIBUTE 9: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS GOOD CUSTOMER CARE
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36 Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Does the planning authority have a community engagement strategy and infrastructure in place to ensure engagement is early, collaborative, meaningful and proportionate? • Has the planning authority undertaken community engagement, for example consistent and effective use of the Place Standard Tool, to inform decision-making processes? • Has the planning authority engaged with a good representation of the community including young people, gypsies and travellers, people with protected characteristics, including disability, race, age, sex and sexual orientation, and including people from a range of socio-economic backgrounds? • Has the planning authority supported the production of Local Place Plans when requested? • Do the results from the customer and stakeholder survey show that stakeholders are satisfied with their collaboration with the planning authority? Narrative West Dunbartonshire Planning Authority places a high value on the front loading of planning processes through both general and specific pre-application advice. We are committed to taking a proactive role in supporting the delivery of high-quality development. General planning advice is provided by the Technical Support Team, who are the first point of contact for customers. Where this requires input from a Planning Officer, these are then passed to them for response. Current workloads do not require us to operate a formal duty officer process, and all enquiries are shared out amongst available officers. This service formally operates in line with the standard business hours of the Council; Monday – Thursday, 8.45 – 16.45, and 08.45 - 15.55 on Fridays. Due to flexible working patterns, and that officers may be out on site, we encourage phone and email enquiries in the first instance to ensure that customers are helped in the most efficient manner and by the right person. Whilst we do not hold formal records of how enquiries are received, we would estimate that less than 5% of enquiries are made in person. Bespoke pre-application advice is available and split into 2 different types. The Pre-application Advice service supports applicants who require guidance for smaller less complex proposals, for example, change of use or small residential development applications. And the Pre-application Framework supports larger and more complex developments. The framework approach is led by our Placemaking Co-Ordinator who supports such developments through the process and includes review by our Place and Design Panel where appropriate. ATTRIBUTE 10: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITIES
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37 The service has previously identified through the last Planning Performance Framework that we wanted to hold regular forum sessions, likely alongside Building Standards, with local architects and agents. The service remains committed to this and aim to carry out such an event in 2025 and then at regular intervals, at least annually, thereafter. In terms of community engagement, the Council does have an engagement strategy and the engagement working group to help guide engagement processes; these have helped to inform the engagement as set out in the LDP Participation Statement. Early engagement for the development plan included attending 6 community council meetings to raise awareness of the start of the new Local Development Plan process. To support the evidence gathering consultation, officers organised several webinars with internal and external partners and stakeholder; attended partners’ meetings and events to discuss the consultation and held one-to-one meetings with stakeholders where appropriate. This included the West Dunbartonshire Equalities Forum; Strategic Housing Providers Forum; Community Council Forum; WDCVS Third Sector Leader’s Forum and the Children’s Right’s Advisory Board. An online “Tell us about your place” place standard survey was undertaken with 89 responses, with further responses were received to the children’s and young peoples versions. The call for evidence survey, which was directed more at stakeholders and partner organisations received 59 responses across the NPF4 topics, further one-to-one engagement has sought to fill evidence gaps and ensure that key agencies have all had the opportunity to engage. The Council also commissioned Planning Aid Scotland to support the co-production of an easy start guide for the preparation of local place plans, which worked with community councils and other groups to shape the guidance. This used several different engagement methods including, online and telephone surveys as well as in person and online events to enable groups to engage in ways that suited the capacity of their volunteers. This process finished with an online launch and training event to familiarise groups with the guide and the Local Place Plan process. The Council Housing service has a monthly Gypsy Traveller Liaison meeting with community members from the Council’s site at Dennystoun Forge. Officers from the Development Planning team have also attended this meeting, to raise awareness of the local development plan and to discuss specific evidence gaps in relation to the need and demand for additional pitches or sites for Gypsy Travellers. The Gypsy Traveller Liaison Officer has supported us to undertake a survey of residents of the site as well as members of the community who are not resident of the site to complete surveys to fill this evidence gap. The planning service has not carried out a formal customer satisfaction survey, however the National Planning Improvement Team carried out a National Customer and Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey in November 2024. The outcome of this was favourable to the service, and we performed better on every marker against the national average. On every summary marker
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38 we achieved at least a 57% favourable response (either good/very good or satisfied/very satisfied). We look forward to maintaining customer satisfaction as a result of our improvement actions and engaging further with customers and stakeholders in advance of the next survey later in 2025. Information from customers during the processing of applications, highlights a general dissatisfaction regarding the availability and stability of the online planning portal. This impacts negatively on perceptions of the service. As highlighted in the tools theme, the service is currently working to implement a new full IDOX solution that is expected to improve the availability and stability of the portal.
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39 Improvement Action Plan (Engage theme) Attribute Score (1=Making excellent progress, 5= No progress) 9. This planning authority has good customer care 3 The service generally provides good customer service, although it is recognised that certain areas need improvement based on formal and informal feedback 10. The planning authority has effective engagement and collaboration with stakeholders and communities. 3 The service generally has effective engagement and collaboration but have identified areas where this could be strengthened Based on the grading above, outline any areas of improvement that are required and by whom and their level of importance (High/ Medium/ Low) and by when (short/ medium/ long term). Improvement Action What action will you take? What will the outcome be? Owner Importance High Medium Low Timescale Short term – 1 year Medium term – 3 years Long term – 3+ years Resources Set up regular agents forum, in conjunction with Building Standards Chief Planning Officer/Development Management Team Leader/ Princiapal Officer Development Planning and Place/Building Standards Team Leader Medium Short/Medium Term Development Management, Development Planning and Building Standards
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40 Carry out wider Service Day (with Building Standards and Environmental Health) to share good practice and workstream updates. This will inform detailed Team Improvement Plans Chief Planning Officer Medium Short All Service staff
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41 A high performing planning authority should demonstrate place leadership by taking a collaborative place-based approach in line with the Place Principle. It should use the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes in decision-making processes, to achieve the three spatial principles outlined in NPF4: Sustainable places, where we reduce emissions, restore and better connect biodiversity; Liveable places, where we can all live better, healthier lives; and Productive places, where we have a greener, fairer and more inclusive wellbeing economy. The planning authority should seek to ensure that there are no impediments to delivering agreed development. Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Is the planning authority aware of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes, the evidence that sits behind them and is it using them in decision-making processes? • Has the planning authority identified tools and approaches to delivering sustainable, liveable and productive places and is implementing them? Narrative The service is aware of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes and is taking this approach forward as part of the preparation of the next Local Development Plan. West Dunbartonshire Council had one of the project towns for the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Project, which sought to embed the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes within our decision-making processes. The Council undertook place and wellbeing assessments for a number of strategies and policy documents and a suite of place and wellbeing outcome briefings was prepared. These briefings are part of the evidence for the local development plan and have been shared with other services through the Engagement Working Group. It is intended that a place and wellbeing assessment will be undertaken for the Proposed Plan, and we continue to embed these processes within our decision making as part of the placemaking coordinator role. ATTRIBUTE 11: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY SUPPORTS THE DELIVERY OF SUSTAINABLE, LIVEABLE AND PRODUCTIVE PLACES
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42 Development Management processes naturally involve seeking placemaking outcomes and seeking better developments above guidance. Whilst added value is captured in Reports of Handling, the current processes do not allow for the data to be extracted in a quantifiable and integrable way, so the service is keen to explore this being captured directly within Uniform as part of our service improvement actions. This will allow the service to report clearly in the future how we have added value in terms of place and wellbeing outcomes and delivering sustainable, liveable and productive places within West Dunbartonshire. The Local Development Plan 2 Proposed Plan sets out a place focussed spatial strategy which identifies key areas for regeneration and development within our communities as well as key assets to be protected and enhanced. These places each have place specific policies and development strategies to ensure that development brought forward meets the needs of our communities. While the sustainable, liveable and productive place themes of NPF4 are more recent than our Proposed Plan, the spatial strategy is a key aspect of our approach to delivering these places. Each of the Delivering Our Places areas, identified within the Proposed Plan has a masterplan or development framework, or has the requirement for a masterplan to be prepared when an application is brought forward, to ensure that a coherent approach to development is achieved for these key strategic sites. This has ensured that masterplans have been brought forward as part of the Planning Permission in Principle applications for the Exxon City Deal and Carless sites as well as town centre masterplans/development frameworks for Clydebank and Alexandria town centres. The delivery of these projects are guided by a Project Board including leaders from key council services and partners where appropriate. West Dunbartonshire Councils pre-application process and Place and Design Panel are other key tools which the authority uses to raise the quality of development proposals and deliver better outcomes for our communities. Through the pre-application process there is the opportunity to provide early placemaking advice to applicants and incorporate stakeholders concerns prior to the application being submitted. As well as raising the bar in terms of design this also front-ends development details, reducing the need for conditions and reducing delays while discharging these so that development can get started more quickly once approved.
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43 Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year: • Has the planning authority provided clear and proportionate expectations of Section 75 agreements and set these out in the LDP and pre-application discussions and they are concluded within 6 months of resolution to grant? • Does the planning authority take a proportionate approach to imposing conditions? • Does the planning authority have an ambitious local housing land requirement that exceeds the Minimum All Tenure Housing land requirements in NPF4 and is it on track to support delivery? • Are the number of processing agreements the planning authority has agreed with applicants increasing? • Does the planning authority have an effective delivery programme in place that supports the delivery of development on the ground? Narrative Due to our current developer contributions policy, the service typically relies on Section 69 agreements rather than Section 75 agreements. However, any application that requires a Legal Agreement is generally expected to be concluded within 6 months of either the officer recommendation being accepted by an Appointed Officer or Planning Committee. The service has recently introduced wording to any committee recommendation requiring a legal agreement that seeks delegation to the Chief Planning Officer to refuse any application subject to a legal agreement within 6 months of the committee date where there has been no meaningful progress to completion. This may be formalised as part of the review of the Scheme of Delegation. Case officers seek to discuss any financial contributions at an early stage of application processing to reduce any delay, and where possible, this is advised at the preapplication stage. A rolling programme reviewing planning conditions is currently being progressed by the service. Initially this will involve Environmental Health conditions, and then other types of conditions will follow. This review is taking place in tandem with other workstreams, including reviewing the consultation protocol, and is part of a package of measures to improve efficiency and certainty for both our consultees and customers and to ensure that conditions are proportionate to the scale and type of development. This will also aid with future monitoring, discharge and enforcement of conditions. Other measures include exploring publication of new validation standards to be open and transparent to applicants about what information is required for assessment and to encourage sufficient information to be submitted, reducing the need for subsequent conditions. ATTRIBUTE 12: THE PLANNING AUTHORITY SUPPORTS THE DELIVERY OF CONSENTED DEVELOPMENT
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44 The Council is committed to delivery of development. Within the Council there are several working groups and project boards to support the delivery of key projects for the authority, which the planning service supports. These include cross service project boards for the Local development plan, the Exxon City Deal Project, Queens Quay, Dumbarton Levelling Up Fund Project as well as the Scottish Marine Technology Park at Carless, in partnership with the landowner. Officers from across the Council also regularly meet to share practice and insights at the Engagement Working Group. The Planning, Regeneration, Roads and Asset Management group, also meets regularly to keep partners aware of the range of projects which may have impacts across these services. As set out in the narrative for attribute 1, currently there is low utilisation of Planning Performance Agreements, but the service is exploring ways to promote their use further this as part of the implementation of a project management approach for applications.
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45 Improvement Action Plan (People theme) Attribute Score (1=Making excellent progress, 5= No progress) 11. The planning authority supports the delivery of sustainable, liveable and productive places 1 12. This planning authority supports the delivery of appropriate development 2 Based on the grading above, outline any areas of improvement that are required and by whom and their level of importance (High/ Medium/ Low) and by when (short/ medium/ long term). Improvement Action What action will you take? What will the outcome be? Owner Importance High Medium Low Timescale Short term – 1 year Medium term – 3 years Long term – 3+ years Resources Complete review of Scheme of Delegation to ensure it is proportionate Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader High Short term Chief Planning Officer, Legal Manager, Chief Officer Regulatory and Regeneration and Elected Members Implement Project Management approach within Development Management Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader High Short/Medium term Development Management, Technical Support and and Uniform Implement the new back- office document management system and carry out a full end-to-end review of all workflow processes Chief Planning Officer, Development Management Team Leader, Technical Support Co-Ordinator High Short term All service staff will be required to support this process in some way. In conjunction with IDOX and ICT, a project board will be established.
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46 Explore how “Added Value” can be better captured and reported on Development Management Team Leader High Short Term Uniform system Review Development Management Conditions Chief Planning Officer / Development Management Team Leader High Medium Development Management and other sections of the Council (e.g. Environmental Health, Roads etc.)