Membership of Planning Applications Panel

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A decision made (23.12.05) to agree to the nomination of membership of the Planning Applications Panel.

Ministerial Decision

Subject:	Membership of Planning Applications Panel
Decision Reference:	MD-PE-2005-0001		Exempt clause(s):	n/a
Type of Report: (oral or written)	written		Person Giving Report (if oral):
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?			Report File ref:
Written report – Title	Island Planning (Jersey) Law – Planning Applications Panel
Written report – Author (name and job title)	Peter Thorne Director of Planning
Decision(s): The Acting Minister agreed the draft Report and Proposition nominating Constable of St Peter and Deputy A. Pryke as members of the Panel, and the Constables of St Saviour and St Helier as reserve members of the Panel, in accordance with Article 6c of the Law.
Reason(s) for decision: The appointment of a Panel is a legal requirement, and it is the responsibility of the Minister to make nominations for membership to the States. The members concerned have agreed to serve in the respective roles if the nominations are acceptable to the States. The three Constables have previous experience in serving on former planning committees.
Action required: PT to advise the Greffier of the States that the Minister wishes this matter to be debated on 17 January 2006
Signature: (Acting Minister)		Date of Decision:

Membership of Planning Applications Panel

Minister for Planning and Environment

Report

The States recently agreed, by amending the Island Planning Law, that a Planning Applications Panel should be appointed. As its name implies, its primary purpose is to determine planning applications, and to that extent it replaces the Planning Sub-Committee which has performed this function since 1996.

The Amendment to the Law was registered in the Royal Court on Friday 16 December 2005.

When the Planning and Building Law is introduced, hopefully in April 2006, the Panel's meetings will be held in public.

The Law provides that the Panel should comprise three States members and that it will be chaired by an Assistant Minister, appointed by the Minister for Planning and Environment, with the agreement of the Chief Minister. The Panel will be chaired by the Assistant Minister for Planning and Environment, the Constable of St John.

The other two members, together with two reserves, will be appointed by the Minister, after he has nominated them to the States, and the States has agreed the nominations.

Nominations can only be made by the Minister. If the States rejects his nomination, the Minister has to nominate another States member, and so on, until all the vacancies are filled. The Law provides that the period of membership of a Panel member is three years.

The Constable of St Peter and the Deputy of Trinity have agreed to serve as Panel members, and the Constables of St Saviour and St Helier as reserve members of the Panel, if the nominations are successful.