The Regulatory and Appeals Committee voted to recommend to full Council that its two Area Planning Panels be merged into a new single planning panel, that the Council's rules about when Councillors can refer planning applications to committees for decision be changed, that the Council's Independent Remuneration Panel be asked to decide how much the new panel's Chair and Deputy Chair should be paid, and that the Interim Director of Legal and Governance draw up the changes to the Council's constitution needed to allow the new panel to be created in time for the start of the 2025-2026 municipal year.

Amalgamation of Area Planning Panels

The committee considered a report by the Assistant Director (Planning, Transportation & Highways), that recommended that the two existing Area Planning Panels - the Bradford Area Planning Panel and the Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel - be merged into a single new panel. ¹

The report argued that the number of planning applications being decided by Councillors had reduced in recent years, with 98% of applications decided by officers in 2022/23. The report stated that this meant that there were fewer applications for the two panels to consider, and that this meant that there was less need for two panels.

The two panels currently meet every two months, and the report proposed that the new single panel would meet every three to four weeks, in order to accommodate the increased number of applications that it would be considering.

The report went on to consider a consultation that the Council carried out in 2020, which showed that there was significant opposition to the idea of merging the two panels. The report acknowledged that there were concerns that a single panel would not have the same level of local knowledge as the two existing panels, and that it would be more difficult for residents to attend meetings of a single panel if they were all held in Bradford City Hall.

The report argued that these concerns could be addressed by ensuring that the new panel was made up of Councillors from across the district, and by holding meetings of the panel in different locations across the district.

In the ensuing debate, members of the committee raised a number of issues. Some members argued that the proposed merger would lead to a loss of local democracy, as it would mean that fewer decisions about planning applications would be made by locally elected councillors. They also argued that it would make it more difficult for residents to have their say on planning applications, as they would have to travel further to attend meetings of the new panel.

Other members were more supportive of the proposals, arguing that they would lead to a more efficient and effective planning system. They pointed out that the number of planning applications being decided by councillors had fallen significantly in recent years, and that this meant that there was a need to streamline the system. They also argued that the proposed merger would save the council money, which could be used to fund other services.

The committee eventually voted to approve the proposals, on the condition that a number of safeguards were put in place to address the concerns that had been raised. These safeguards included:

• That the new panel should be made up of councillors from across the district, to ensure that it has a good understanding of local issues.
• That meetings of the new panel should be held in different locations across the district, to make it easier for residents to attend.
• That the council should continue to provide training to councillors on planning matters, to ensure that they are able to make informed decisions.

The committee also voted to recommend to full council that the council's constitution should be amended to allow for the creation of the new panel.

The quicker process of applications would potentially benefit developers at the expense of residents. Some members felt that there was no clear benefit to residents from the merger and emphasised the need to protect residents’ interests.

In response to members concern about the lack of local representation, the Development Services Manager stated that the outer areas had a third tier of representation in the form of parish and town councils who were notified of planning applications in their areas and who also had the right to request to the Chair that an application was determined at the planning panel.

The meeting concluded with members stressing the importance of ensuring that any changes to the Planning Panel structure serve the best interests of the community.