Planning Consultant

Chalfont St Peter Parish Council (CSPPC) is undertaking a periodic examination of its consultancy provision for planning services, in accordance with good governance. The Parish Council (PC) Amenities & Planning committee is made up of elected representatives who have gained knowledge over the years within planning but have no professional qualifications in this area. Over the last year (Jan 2024 to Nov 2024) there have been approximately 300 planning applications received by the planning authority Buckinghamshire Council (BC) for development within Chalfont St Peter Parish. The Parish Council has the right to comment upon all planning applications within the Parish and occasionally in neighbouring parishes, close to the boundary.

Of these developments there are approx. three large or complex ones each year that the Parish Council seeks advice from professional planning consultants on. The value of these larger ones may fall within the requirement for competitive tendering, hence the need to follow the competitive tendering process first. We currently have one of these ongoing at present whereby an outline application for large-scale development within the village has been received which will impact on the residents which we need professional assistance with. Also, from time to time, the local planning authority, Buckinghamshire Council, will ask the PC to comment upon the draft Local Plan, provision for travelers etc. The PC may request advice from a consultant on these matters as well. When producing its comments, the PC will wish to review any available and relevant information using the following list of considerations as a guide:

* road access and highway safety * traffic generation * adequacy of local infrastructure * improvements to or loss of local amenities * adequacy of parking, loading and turning * loss of trees * overlooking neighbouring properties * building design and materials * waste collection and recycling * visual amenity and consistency with adjoining properties * noise and disturbance resulting from use * hazardous materials * smells * existing density and street scene * effect on historically important or listed buildings * green-belt and common land regulations * conservation areas etc. * strategic, regional and local planning policies * current National Planning Policies Framework requirements * current local Planning Policies * Chalfont St Peter Neighbourhood Plan

Examples of the types of planning applications which Chalfont St Peter Parish Council have historically required professional advice on are available in the attached document.

Additional information: If you would like to be considered for the position as Parish Council planning consultant, could you please tell us how you would approach commenting on these types of projects. Topics that Chalfont St Peter Parish Council would be interested to hear are:

1. Your experience of working with Parish Councils

2. Any knowledge of the area including Buckinghamshire Council planning policies

3. Details and experience of staff who could undertake the work including hourly rates

4. Estimated costs to carry out the following tasks:

1) Review of application documentation from the BC website, examination of compliance with policies, identification and potential scope of issues

2) Prepare concise draft Report, commensurate with size of the development for submission to BC

3) Agree comments with Chalfont St Peter Parish Council based on the above

4) Production of final report

5) If requested preparing a 3 minute speech on the report to BC Planning Committee

6) If requested delivering a 3 minute speech to BC Planning Committee

7) Any other considerations for larger scale planning applications

8) List hourly rates for various levels of expertise

5. Buckinghamshire Council give the Parish Council 3 weeks to comment upon planning applications. The amount of time that Chalfont St Peter Parish Council can then give the consultant could be less than 2 weeks. You will be given an indication of the Parish Council's views on the development. Please provide us with information on how you would go about dealing with these tight timescales.