Decisions and appeals

We are the local planning authority for the area. We determine the majority of the planning applications within the borough boundary.

Please note: Staffordshire County Council is the waste and mineral planning authority and determines all relating to waste and mineral applications in addition to a limited number of other planning applications.

Who makes the decisions?

Our Executive Director (Commercial Development and Economic Growth) has extensive delegated powers to make decisions and determines all applications other than where the proposal involves the following development:

• major developments - that is proposals involving ten or more dwellings or with a site area of 0.5 hectares or more, and in other cases where the floor space is 1,000 square metres or more or where the site area is one hectare or more

• demolition of a listed building

• alterations or extension to a Grade 1 or Grade II* listed building

Decisions on these applications are made by the Planning Committee at their meetings which are generally held every three weeks. 

Call-in procedure 

There is also the call-in procedure. This requires that two or more members must discuss the matter with an officer prior to putting their request in writing that they wish an application to be decided by Planning Committee.

This process must be completed by a set date. The procedure enables members to withdraw the call-in. If all members who have called-in an application withdraw that request the decision would be made by the Executive Director.