OPDC Planning Committee meetings

Members of the public can obtain copies of public Planning Committee papers via the dedicated webpage. Agendas of business that will be discussed at a meeting and the reports on each topic for discussion (except any which contain confidential, personal or financial information) can usually be viewed on the website five working days before the meeting.

Minutes of the decisions taken at the meeting will also be available on the website once they have been agreed.

Dates and Papers from Meetings.

We have put in place new procedures for Board and Committees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of physical Board and Committee meetings, Members are meeting remotely in the form of Advisory Panels. Decision-making is then delegated to the relevant Chair, of the Board or Committee in question, who will take into account the Advisory Panel discussion.

These new procedures are designed to:

• be in line with Government social-distancing guidance and keep our Members, staff and the public safe
• be in line also with the legal rules that govern local authorities meeting and decision-making. In particular, these rules mean decisions of the Board or a Committee cannot be taken in a remote meeting, but can be taken by the Chair under delegation.
• be transparent. Members of the public can view or listen to the public section of each Advisory Panel video conference and view copies of the public reports (which are usually published five-days before the Panel meets).

A note of the Advisory Panel meeting and the Chair’s decisions will be published on the website soon after the meeting date.

Making representations

Should you wish to make representations at a Planning Committee Advisory Panel meeting, please let us know in advance of the meeting date by emailing the Committee Secretary: [email protected]

These arrangements are set out in the OPDC Scheme for Remote Decision Making. This paper explains the background further.

You’ll find information about how to follow an Advisory Panel meeting on the meeting agenda, published online.

Planning Committee meetings can also be viewed on the web. Links for webcasts are provided in advance of the start of the meeting, but do not become live until shortly before transmission.

Archived webcasts are normally made available within a couple of hours of the end of the meeting. These webcasts remain on the site for six months after the date of the meeting.

If you have previously written in to comment on a planning application then you may apply to speak at the Planning Committee when it is being considered. Please let the Planning Committee Secretary know a minimum of 48 hours in advance of the meeting date if you wish to do so, via the contact details below.

For more information on public speaking at Planning Committees, please see the Guidance note for Public Speaking.

Planning Committee meetings are open to the public except for when confidential, personal or financial information matters are being discussed. These items will be marked as closed items on the agenda and members of the public will be asked to leave for the closed part of the meeting.

Planning Committee meetings are currently held at The Drum at Wembley, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9 0FJ unless otherwise indicated on the agenda. There is access for people with disabilities.