Development Control

The Council's Head of Development Control is Peter Fenwick.

The Development Control Section is responsible for dealing with planning and related applications. Broadly speaking, all development, that is, building, engineering or mining works, or a change of use of a building or land, requires planning permission first being obtained from the local planning authority unless the works are expressly permitted within the planning legislation.

Planning Officers appraise applications, carry out consultations and undertake site visits. Reports on applications are submitted to the Development Control and Environmental Protection Committee, or to the Development Control Manager for those applications that comply with the delegation scheme, having taken into account the planning policies in the Shropshire Structure Plan and Borough Local Plan, government advice, and other relevant material information and the results of consultation with statutory or other bodies and the comments of third parties.

If the application is approved, with or without conditions, the development can be implemented (although it may require other consents such as approval under the Building Regulations). If it is refused or approved with conditions, the applicant can appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment. He will normally appoint an Inspector to determine the appeal, either by written representation or appearance at a Public Inquiry/Hearing. The Inspector can either allow or dismiss the appeal and at an Inquiry/Hearing can award costs against unreasonable behaviour of either the appellant, Council or third parties.

We have a service portfolio which includes our vision statement, service standards and our performance indicators with recent committee reports. 

• Development Control - Service Portfolio.

Enforcement

The Enforcement Section deals with contraventions of planning control, which can lead to the service of:

• an enforcement notice (requiring whatever steps are necessary to rectify matters
• a planning contravention notice, or
• a breach of condition notice.

In extreme circumstances an injunction could be served. In most instances breaches of control are rectified by officers through negotiation with the persons concerned.

Finally, the Section monitors building control applications to see if proposals require planning permission; submits quarterly DOE statistics on the performance of the Section and produces delegated lists of applications determined.