The Planning Committee meets as often as it is required dependent on the applications received. Meetings normally start at 6pm and are held on a Tuesday. Meetings are normally held in the Council Chamber of the Shire Hall, Monmouth although are currently held remotely as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.
There are currently 9 Councillors that sit on the Planning Committee and its aim is to ensure that planning matters are exercised in accordance with the legislative and policy requirement of the council with due regard for the individuals and communities affected, the economic effects and environmental impacts.
The objectives of the Committee are:
- Consider planning applications.
- Make recommendations on planning applications to the County Council.
- Play a full role in responding to planning guidance and planning regulations.
- Set the councils policy with regard to individual and general planning matters including design statements and overall purpose of the council’s policy.
- Play a full role in developing local section 106 agreements.
- Develop a response to planning applications
- Develop our transport and land use policies.
- Arrange site visits and other responses as necessary.
- Arrange training for Council members on planning matters.
Each planning application will be considered on its own merits.
Planning is not a popularity contest, its job is simply to decide whether a particular development is acceptable or not under the current planning framework, set by the Welsh Government and Monmouthshire County Council (MCC).
Planning is concerned with material planning considerations only. It is not a public inquiry into the rights and wrongs of a proposed scheme, nor is it concerned with such matters as whether a scheme will be successful or not, or land ownership issues. The material planning considerations are:
- Noise
- Disturbance
- Overlooking & loss of privacy
- Nuisance
- Shading / loss of daylight
- Over-development or overcrowding of the site
- Adverse visual impact
- Detrimental effect on the character of the area
- Design issues such as
- Bulk / massing
- Detailing and materials
- Over-bearing / out-of-scale or out of character in terms of appearance
- Highway issues
At a planning meeting, Members look at the information available on the planning portal as well as hard copies and use Google earth and street view for site identification and familiarisation when necessary.