COUNCIL planning committees will restart next week to determine some of County Durham’s more significant applications.
It will be the first planning committee held since March 18, after social distancing measures were introduced to deal with the pandemic.
Members still can’t attend in person but applications will be determined remotely in a bid to boost the county’s economy moving forward.
The virtual meetings will decide the outcome of major developments and applications.
Meanwhile, an increased range of delegated powers have been given to planning officers to clear a backlog of applications brought about by the pandemic.
In order to ensure those decisions are fair, they will be made in consultation with local councillors, with final decisions taken at director level.
County Councillor Carl Marshall, cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “There is no doubt that the virus has caused major disruption to businesses and communities across the county and we hope that ensuring the planning process is fully operational gives a much-needed boost to developers going forward.
“The planning system unlocks investment and development by enabling businesses to grow, new housing to develop and increasing jobs and productivity, which will help with our vision of creating more and better jobs across County Durham.
]"In the interest of a speedy economic recovery, it is important that these decisions are made in a fair and timely manner, which they will be under these new plans, whilst still allowing for residents across the county to get involved in the process.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here