Planning committee to continue meeting, but not in public

Sat, 18 Apr 2020

The Island’s planning committee has found a way to meet throughout the pandemic, but not in public.

Temporary measures have been brought in to allow the body, which is made up of a number of lay people, to continue to make decisions using technology.

Chairman Tim Baker says controversial applications will be deferred until they can be dealt with ‘in the normal manner’.

As meetings aren’t going to be held in public, applicants, objectors and local authorities will no longer be able to speak or ask questions.

However, committee agendas will be published 10 days in advance of the meetings to allow ‘additional written comments’ to be made, in light of officers’ reports.

Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne asked Mr Baker whether holding meetings away from the public eye was the right solution: