Bury’s top planners show country the way

Bury’s planning officers are officially the quickest in the country and will now share their recipe for success with the rest of the nation.

Councils are required to tell the Government how quickly they make planning decisions, and for a number of years Bury has been in the Top 10.

The latest statistics show that Bury has now gone to Number 1.

For the year to June 2016, Bury planners decided 100% of major applications, 97% of minor applications and 99% of all applications within the Government’s targets of 13 (major) and 8 weeks (minor/others). The national averages were 82%, 77% and 85% respectively.

The national Planning Advisory Service (PAS) also praised the work of the council’s planning committee, which is said had excellent working practices.

PAS is now spreading the word of Bury’s success to other councils in a manual of good practice, and invited Bury to advise the relevant government departments in England, Scotland and Wales on how best to decide planning applications in a timely and efficient manner.

Councillor Jane Black, chair of Bury’s planning committee, said: “This is a great accolade for our planning and development officers and shows how professional and efficient they are.

“Their good work means that Bury residents and companies seeking planning permission are getting a top quality and timely service with expert advice.

“I would also urge anyone who is drawing up development plans to contact the planning team for pre-application advice, which can often help iron out potential problems at an early stage.”

The council’s planning and building control service can be found at http://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10619

ENDS

Press release issued: 10 November 2016.