Independent planning body 'would be seen as impartial'
A STAND-ALONE planning authority that would operate separately from Environment and all other States committees could reduce perceptions of partiality and conflicts of interest, the committee behind a plan for major States reforms has said.
The States Review Committee is proposing the completely separate Development and Planning Authority, which would tackle all planning applications and create land use policy through the Island Development Plan, as part of its shake-up of committee structure.
This would comprise five deputies, but members of the new Environment and Infrastructure and the Policy and Resources Committees would be precluded from sitting on the authority in a further bid to strengthen perception of inpartiality.
'The Development and Planning Authority would have no policy or operational responsibilities for environmental or infrastructure matters (or any other non-planning matters),' said the SRC report.
'In the future it is much less likely that perceptions of partiality could reoccur in the determination of planning applications.
'The committee for the Environment and Infrastructure would be free in all circumstances to make policy and advise the States in relation to its environmental and infrastructure portfolios without the risk arising later of perceptions of conflicts of interest.'
