Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Planning charter

Planning service

The Planning Service deals with planning applications (including listed building and conservation area applications) appeals, enforcement and related compliance matters and planning policy issues, including preparation of the Council’s Local Development Framework.

Our Service Plan sets out our aims for the coming year within the context of the Council’s Best Value Performance Plan (BVPP) and provides a more detailed programme for the provision of the service.

Our customers:

Customers of the planning service include: applicants, those making representations on applications, Town and Parish Councils and Meetings, the business community, Councillors, other Council service areas, Statutory Bodies, interest groups and other organisations interested in planning applications and the local planning process.

Our commitment to you:

We aim to provide a friendly, courteous and prompt service and to maintain high professional standards, making the best possible decisions for local communities. In particular, we aim to achieve the following service standards:

General

• Answer telephone calls promptly during office hours
• Respond to telephone messages within one working day
• Respond to letters and email communications with a full or interim reply within ten working days
• Deal fairly with complaints about the service, in accordance with the Council’s Comments and Complaints procedure.

Development Control

Advice

• Ensure that professional advice and information on planning applications and related matters are available during office hours
• Welcome and provide opportunities to discuss development proposals with applicants before they submit a planning application
• Suggest changes where proposals are felt to be unacceptable and give advice on how to progress the application
• Provide Guidance Notes on how to make a planning application.

Processing applications

• Register valid planning applications within five working days
• Contact applicants within five working days if an application is incomplete and/or invalid, explaining what is missing or how to correct any mistakes
• Issue decision notices within three working days of the decision being made
• Notify the final decision to those who made comments on an application
• To determine 60 per cent of Major planning applications within 13 weeks; 65 per cent of Minor planning applications within eight weeks and 80 per cent of Other applications within eight weeks.

Publicity and consultation

• Publicise applications promptly and consult adjoining neighbours, giving them 21 days to make representations
• Maintain the facility to view planning applications via the Council’s website
• Publicise the weekly list of planning applications received and planning decisions made on the Council’s website
• Continue to provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak at meetings of the Development Control Committee regarding applications which are to be considered by the Committee.

Enforcement

• Acknowledge enforcement related enquiries within three working days either by telephone or by letter
• Investigate the enquiries and visit the site in all instances, within ten working days
• Provide an interim response to enquiries within five working days of the site visit
• Notify the enquirer of any decision to take formal enforcement action within three working days of the decision. 

Conservation and Design

• Officers to be available by appointment during office hours to provide specialist conservation and historic building design advice
• Ensure independent design advice is available from the Architects Advisory Panel for sensitive and major developments.
  

Planning Policy

• Maintain an up-to-date planning policy framework for the Vale of White Horse District
• Publicise planning policies and proposals widely, including on the Council’s website, giving opportunities for people to comment in accordance with the relevant planning regulations
• Make copies of the adopted Local Plan and other emerging planning policy documents available at reasonable prices and on the website
• Officers to be available during office hours to provide advice and information on matters relating to planning policy
• Carefully consider representations made on emerging planning policy documents and inform respondents how the Council will deal with their concerns.