At the East Riding of Yorkshire Council meeting on the 16th November 2022, Conservative Councillors, Leo Hammond and Paul West called on councillors to support their motion to ask the Government to ‘strengthen and simplify’ the planning enforcement system.
Wolds Weighton Ward’s Cllr Hammond moved the motion asking for more powers to help the council ‘protect local communities and our area from unwanted and poor quality development’. The councillor asked amongst other policy changes, that the Government make all breaches of planning permissions and conditions financially punishable offences, to ‘send a clear message to those habitual offenders that they must follow their planning permission’. The Councillor went on to ask that the Government double the application fees for retrospective planning applications. These are applications for development which has already happened without pre-commencement planning permission. The councillor stated this would ‘deter’ offenders and make everyone pay more attention to the details of the planning system.
Pocklington Provincial’s Cllr West seconded the motion stating ‘those of us who are members of planning committees know how frustrating it can be when the conditions we put on applications to protect residents are ignored. We need to do all we can to ensure these conditions are followed and to that aim I hope all members can support this motion’.
Cllr Hammond concluded the debate by saying ‘I want the Government to make the enforcement system less bureaucratic and stronger, and I think these proposed changes help do that, and most importantly help us protect our residents and area’.
The motion was carried by a majority of councillors.
