Agenda item

At this point Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle rejoined the meeting.

Denis Sangweme, planning enforcement manager introduced the report on planning enforcement performance in the Camberwell area.  He advised that the quarterly report to community councils was now a constitutional requirement of the council.

In the Camberwell area, twenty-eight enforcement cases were decided within the eight week target.

Members then discussed each individual case set out in the report and asked questions of the planning enforcement manager.  The main issues were about places of worship on how the council were actively engaging with local faith groups. 

The officer responded by stating the council were actively engaging with these groups to ensure they complied with regulations.

Additional comments were made about the unlawful use of premises and whether the council could be more stringent when dealing with enforcement notices.

The planning enforcement manager explained the places of worship were a complex issue which required a strategic intervention from the council.

The chair thanked the officer for his presentation.

Councillor Stephen Govier submitted a motion, seconded by Councillor Veronica Ward about the community council’s concern on the number of enforcement issues involving places of worship.  The recommendation was to refer this to Cabinet so that a strategic view could be drawn up on this matter.  The motion was put to the vote and lost.

RESOLVED:

That the report on the planning enforcement performance for period 1 April 2011 to 31 August 2011 be noted.