The Planning Performance Review Sub-Committee met on Wednesday 3 April 2024 to review the council's planning decisions and appeal performance for the period April 2023 to March 2024. The committee was satisfied that relevant planning policies and criteria had been applied correctly to the cases reviewed.

Review of Planning Decisions - Performance Report (April 2023 - March 2024)

The sub-committee reviewed the council's performance in determining planning decisions and appeals between April 2023 and March 2024. Barry Coughlan, Interim Head of Development Management, presented a report highlighting the council's strong performance.

Barking and Dagenham Council achieved a 100% determination rate for major development applications, placing it joint first nationally and in London. For non-major development decisions, the council determined 92.97% within the statutory eight-week period, also ranking first nationally and in London. This performance reflects Be First's efforts to accelerate development and align with government aims to speed up the planning process.

The report also detailed approval and refusal rates for various application types. For householder applications, the approval rate was 65%, slightly below the aspirational target of 67%. However, the quality of decision-making remained high, and timely determinations were noted as a nationally leading position. Performance for certificates of lawful development and prior notifications was 100% determined within the required timeframe.

Appendices to the report contained bundles of randomly selected delegated planning and appeal decisions. The sub-committee selected one delegated planning decision and one appeal decision for detailed review, with the Interim Head of Development Management providing summaries and responding to questions. The committee confirmed that relevant planning policies and criteria had been applied correctly in these cases.

The Chair and members of the sub-committee expressed their thanks to Barry Coughlan and his team at Be First, as well as Marilyn Smith from Planning Assurance and officers from Law and Governance, for their work in achieving these outstanding performance outcomes. A full report detailing the sub-committee's findings will be presented to the Planning Committee on 22 April 2024.