The Director of Law and Governance submitted a report to enable the Planning Committee to establish a Strategic Applications Sub Committee, the Terms of Reference of which were approved by Council on 28 September 2020.

It was reported that the Constitution as approved by Council required the establishment of the Strategic Applications Sub–Committee. The membership of the Sub-Committee may comprise between 6 and 9 members. The proposals within the report enabled the Committee to decide upon the size of the Sub-Committee and to agree the allocation of seats to different political groups.  It was also reported that the Planning Committee had power to reserve to itself functions that the Constitution prescribed as matters for the Strategic Applications Sub-Committee.

On a motion by the Chair and seconded by Councillor S Foulkes it was agreed that the Sub-Committee be comprised of 6 Members with the political proportionality of 3 Labour Members and 2 substitutes; 2 Conservative Members and 1 substitute; and 1 Liberal Democrat Member and 1 substitute.

The motion was put and carried.

Resolved (10:0) –

(1)  That the Terms of Reference of the Strategic Applications Sub-Committee, as referred to in paragraph 3.1 of the report, be noted and those matters delegated to it be reserved to  Planning Committee except as set out in paragraph  6 of this resolution.

(2)  That the Strategic Applications Sub Committee be delegated the consideration of the protocols and procedures to be adopted with regard to pre application discussion arrangements.

(3)  That the size of the Strategic Applications Sub-Committee, having regard to the options referred to at paragraph 5.5 of the report be set at 6 members of the Planning Committee in the political ratio of 3 Labour Seats (with 2 substitutes), 2 Conservative seats (with one substitute) and 1 Liberal Democrat seat (with 1 substitute).

(4)  That the Chair of Planning Committee to be appointed as Chair of the Strategic Applications Sub Committee.

(5)  That the Monitoring Officer be authorised as proper officer to carry out the wishes of the Group Leaders in allocating Members to membership and substitute membership of the Strategic Applications Sub-Committee and to appoint those Members with effect from the date at which the proper officer is advised of the names of such Members

(6)  That the following matters shall be determined at the Strategic Applications Sub Committee:

(i) Large-scale major developments (defined by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as those of 200 houses or more or 10,000 square metres of non-residential floor space) which, by their nature, (e.g. scale, location etc.) have wider strategic implications and raise issues of more than local importance.

(ii) significant applications by Wirral Borough Council to develop any land owned by the Council, or for development of any land by the Council or by the Council jointly with any other person (Regulation 3 applications)

(iii) Applications where it was proposed to make a decision that is a significant departure from the policies of the development plan, with the exception of domestic extensions.

(iv) Decisions that would need to be referred to the Secretary of State with the exception of applications for Planning Permission and/or Listed Building Consent to Grade I listed buildings, where there are no objections on conservation grounds.

(v) informal pre-application discussions with developers in relation to any matter which potentially may come before the Sub-Committee for later decision.