The island’s planning committee will begin to sit again from early next month, but with some major changes.

Responsible for ruling on planning applications, the committee usually meets every other Monday in Murray House, Douglas.

During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the committee has not met for over a month.

From May 5, it will begin to sit virtually, however the public and local authorities will be excluded and the meetings will be effectively held behind closed doors.

While the committee while only take written submissions, the agenda for meetings will now be published at least 10 working days in advance of the meeting in order to allow additional written comments to be submitted.

Currently the agenda is only published two working days before the meeting.

The changes for the committee come under the Emergency Powers Act and required Tynwald approval, which was granted this week.

Committee chairman Tim Baker (Ayre and Michael) told Tynwald that if planners are able to make judgments on applications, it could help the island’s building sector recover from the current lock down.

process

Mr Baker added: ’It’s been recognised that it is necessary to restart the planning committee process under revised arrangements.

’During this emergency period, the plan is for planning committee meetings to be conducted using conference call dialling which would be chaired by myself in the normal manner with the head of development presenting all the cases and each member of the committee dialling in from home.’

He accepted that it has removed an element of transparency for the committee but that ’the vast majority of applications are straight forward and noncontroversial and that 85% of planning applications are decided by officers under delegated authority’.

More controversial applications, or ones which will require a larger input from local authorities, applicants and objectors, will be deferred until a time when this is possible.

Comments on applications will still be made in the same way at www.gov.im/planningcomment or via email to [email protected] stating the application referennce number eg (20/00096/B).