What happens at a Planning Committee meeting?

Committee meetings run in a particular order, with legal requirements that set out how they operate. 

The Chairman of the Planning Committee is responsible for making sure it runs smoothly.

The Chairman is advised by the planning officer(s), a legal advisor and a democratic services officer, who is responsible for accurately recording the meeting.

Before the committee starts to consider planning applications, there are administrative matters which the committee must consider:

Apologies

If a member of a committee is unable to attend the meeting, either as the result of a pre-planned engagement or illness etc, they may be substituted by a colleague.

This substitution must be in accordance with the Constitution of North West Leicestershire 2023 (PDF Document, 2.69 Mb) 

Declarations of interest

Members on the committee have to declare any interest that may affect or appear to affect their ability to make an impartial or informed decision.

There are two types of interest:

• A disclosable pecuniary interest

Where a planning application directly affects the financial position of a member or a member of his / her family. These members cannot take part in the debate or vote on the matter and must leave the room when the item is discussed.

• A disclosable non-pecuniary interest

Any other interest which is not a financial interest e.g. being a member of a parish council or an external body. These members can be involved in the debate and vote on the matter to be decided.

Read more about the different types of interest. 

Minutes

The committee will be asked to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, which will be in the agenda pack.

Members may ask for alterations to be made to the minutes if they feel they do not accurately reflect what was said.

The minutes are not required to be a verbatim record of what is said – they just need to reflect the content of the debate.

The next stage of the meeting is to consider planning applications.