Shrewsbury Wins Planning Grant

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council has been awarded a grant of £283,055 under the Government’s Planning Delivery Grant Scheme for 2004/05. This represents an increase of £208,000 over the level of grant given last year. In 2003/04 the Council was awarded £75,000 grant which was used to fund a Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme in Shrewsbury.

The grant award is performance related and is the highest award of all Councils in Shropshire. Shrewsbury’s success this year is based on having an up to date adopted Local Plan. The grant is enhanced because the Council has achieved targets for processing minor and other applications together with an additional amount for improvements in development control performance in the period October 2002 – September 2003.

The purpose of the Government Grant is to enhance the resourcing of the planning system in a way that drives performance improvement and ensures effective delivery of objectives for sustainable communities. The Government is encouraging grants to be used for preparing for the new system of local development frameworks (which will replace current local plan and structure plan arrangements); the better resourcing of IT systems, outsourcing of certain planning services, increasing staff levels, training for staff and Councillors and encouraging a more diverse planning workforce.

Councillor Keith Brennand, Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council’s Planning Portfolio holder says:

"I am delighted that the Government has recognised the performance of the Council’s planning service through this massive increase in grant. It reflects on the considerable effort and commitment of all our planning and support staff. They are to be congratulated. We have already agreed to fund a three year temporary post out of the grant to help in the preparation of the new local development framework and I am looking forward to developing a planning investment programme funded through the availability of grant to ensure that Shrewsbury and Atcham continues to have a first class planning service"

Cllr Keith Brennand on 01743 355397 or;

Peter Jarratt, Director of Development Services, on 01743 281300