Decision details

Background

In 2015, the County Council became a statutory consultee to the planning authorities in Kent responsible for providing technical advice onsurface water management including sustainable drainage matters.  This includes consultation for full and outline applications as well as secondary consultation in relation to reserved matters, discharge of conditions and variations. This advice is considered as part of the determination of planning applications

As a result of the new consultee role, a number of ‘potential developers’ are seeking pre- application advice from the County Council on SuDs matters prior to the submission of a planning application to the borough and district councils. 

This discretionary engagement provides an opportunity to shape development at an early part of the development process and can lead to quicker decision making and higher quality development.

Providing this service will obviously cost the authority in staff time and other resource.   Unlike other parts of the GET Directorate and other local authorities, the cost of this pre-application advice is currently not met by the developer.   However, with current financial pressures on the public purse, it is proposed that the service seeks to recover its costs.  

How the proposed decision meets the objectives of ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes

The decision will underpin policies within the Strategic Statement ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes by supporting and facilitating new growth in the Kent economy and the creation of a high quality built environment.  In addition, the work has a role to play in the delivery of the Kent Environment Strategy and the Kent and Medway Growth and Infrastructure Framework.

Financial implications:

The proposal would recover the costs of providing pre-application advice to developers on sustainable drainage matters.

Legal Implication

The Local Government Act 2003, section 93 enables local authorities to charge for discretionary planning services.

Equalities Implications  

An Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been undertaken to support the work.   It concluded that the introduction of the charging scheme is unlikely to have any specific adverse or positive impacts upon the identified ten characteristics

As Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, I agree to introduce a pre-application charging service for sustainable urban drainage advice to developers as set out in Appendix A of the report accompanying this decision for engagement with representatives from the development industry via the Kent Developers Group. The interim Charging Scheme to be reviewed as part of the wider GET Charging Review in 2017.