Planning Appeal Won and Costs Awarded
The planning application Illustrative Layout - Bluepencil
This Outline Planning application for 72 new homes on land in Uttlesford District, Essex, has been approved through the appeal process - The Planning Inspector awarded partial costs after finding the planning committee had shown ‘unreasonable behaviour’ in submitting and then withdrawing 2 unsubstantiated reasons for refusal.
The committee voted against officers recommendation for approval
This application was recommended for approval by council officers - twice - but was refused by the planning committee. It was won at appeal a year later. It will deliver much needed new homes, 40 % of which are affordable.
“Uttlesford is a generally unaffordable area to live in, within a national and regional context. The latest Local Housing Needs Assessment report (October 2023) for Uttlesford identifies a need of 261 net affordable dwellings in the period 2023 to 2033. This need has more than doubled since the previous 2017 assessment of affordable housing needs in the District. Also, insufficient affordable completions have been forthcoming to meet this need.”
For the Planning Inspector’s full report click here:
For the Planning Inspector’s decision to award costs click here:
Who Pays?
When a council is ordered to pay costs by a planning inspector, the money ultimately comes from taxpayers, either through Council Tax, Business Rates, or Central Government Funding, which itself comes from national taxation (e.g., income tax, VAT, corporation tax). If a council has to pay costs ordered by a planning inspector, it is using public funds that could otherwise be spent on local services.
There is no national standard for how planning committees should be trained.
Training for planning committee members varies between councils in the UK due to differences in local policies, resources, political priorities, and legal interpretations. While some councils have structured and comprehensive training, others offer only basic or ad-hoc sessions.
Councillors on planning committees in the UK are not paid a salary for their work, but they do receive allowances and expenses. Being a councillor is generally considered a voluntary role, but they are entitled to:
Basic Allowance – All councillors receive a basic allowance, which is intended to cover the time spent on council duties, including planning committees.
Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) – Some councillors, such as the Chair of a planning committee, may receive an additional allowance for their extra responsibilities.
Expenses – Councillors can claim expenses for travel, subsistence, and other costs incurred while carrying out their duties.
The exact amounts vary depending on the local authority, as each council sets its own scheme of allowances.
Bluepencil were commissioned to prepare the Illustrative Layout, Design and Access Statement, Parameter Plans and Design Code for this application for Baker and Metson Ltd, with whom they have enjoyed working on several projects over many years.
