South Bedfordshire District Council's Charter Mark Hat Trick
The way the team deal with customers, both internally and externally was scrutinised during their assessment and assessors were so impressed with the planning team and their work that after visiting the offices they immediately recommended that a Charter Mark Award be granted.
Applying for planning permission is not just about developers applying for permission to build a new housing estate. Residents may have to apply for permission to build an extension to their home or even if they want to make changes to a listed building. And it's matters like these that Development Control really excels at.
"Our team is dedicated to making sure that any developments, no matter how small, are right for the overall look of South Bedfordshire,” says Head of Development Control, David Hale. "We are always on hand to make sure that anyone who has a planning enquiry gets as much help as they need so the process of making a planning application is as simple as possible. A planning officer is always on duty ready to help with any planning query during office hours".
David adds: "The majority of applicants we deal with have never submitted an application before so we offer free pre-application advice so customers can talk to us about their intentions. We can then advise them on whether their application will be successful and if it isn't we can suggest changes that would help them in the long run".
The assessors were particularly impressed with the work that the team have done in making sure the planning process can be accessed and used online.
Everything from finding the cost of an application, submitting an application, the application process, commenting on an application, viewing supporting documents and finding out the planning committee’s decision can be accessed online via the planning pages on the South Bedfordshire District Council's website.
This has proved particularly useful with big applications such as the proposed Luton Town FC stadium application and the application for a development east of Leighton Buzzard. Putting planning systems on line is saving customers and the taxpayer time and money. In the past these documents, some hundreds of pages long, would have had to be photocopied and anyone wanting to view these documents would have had to come into the district offices.
Alison Hunt, System Support Manager, says having the documents on line is also helpful in many other ways: "Being able to access an application online means that local residents and interested parties can view current planning applications at a time to suit them, rather than having to visit our offices, they can also send us their comments electronically. This method of communicating with the council is already proving very popular with around 75 per cent of comments on the Luton Town Stadium application being sent online”.
Despite central government issuing a requirement for all planning offices to do this, South Bedfordshire District Council's team has achieved the government’s electronic standard and prides itself on being one of the only councils this far ahead with its on-line service offering more to our customers electronically.
But the hard work doesn't end there. The team is working towards making more documentation available online: including searchable Listed Buildings and Tree Preservation Order Registers.
And the Charter Mark assessors will be back next year to make sure the good work has continued.
David Hale says: "We won't rest on our laurels, yes we've celebrated this success but we will now be looking to improve our planning services further as we look to how Central Bedfordshire will deal with development control for years to come"
Councillor Tom Nicols, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Development says: "We in the council are justifiably proud of our Development Control services. We’ve always believed that we serve the community of South Bedfordshire both with courtesy and efficiency. This Charter Mark is proof of this and I am sure that our planning services in South Bedfordshire will be able to transfer these skills into the emerging Central Bedfordshire Council. I would wish to express my thanks to the officers within the Development Control team who have proved just how good they are at serving the public "
· This Charter Mark award complements the two other awards already won by Building Control and Environmental Health.
· Charter Mark is the government's national standard for customer service excellence. To achieve the award six criteria must be met; Set standards and perform well, actively engage with customers, partners and staff, be fair and accessible to everyone and promote choice, continuously develop and improve, use resources effectively and imaginatively, and contribute to improving opportunities and quality of life in the communities served.
