COUNCIL officers have defended meeting with developers prior to planning applications being submitted after the authority was rapped by a watchdog for failing to keep records.

In August the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman upheld a complaint after St Helen Council failed to produce any written records of pre-planning meetings with the developers of Florida Farm North.

Mark Fisher, the council’s legal services manager, spoke to the council’s environment, regeneration, housing, culture and leisure overview and scrutiny panel last week about the process.

He said pre-planning meetings with developers are “actively encouraged” in the council’s own guidance and from the Local Government Association.

“These meetings are a good thing,” Mr Fisher said.

“The issue is of course, there is a fear in the public’s mind, particularly when they are living in close proximity to a possible development, that something untoward is going on.

“So, what you need is a system of regulation at these meetings.

“What the planning protocol in fact requires is that, when these meetings take place they should be recorded and there should be a written note kept of the meetings.

“That’s for transparency purposed clearly. And that does happen.”

Mr Fisher acknowledged the council had not acted in accordance with its own planning protocol in relation to the of pre-planning meetings with the developers of Florida Farm North.

He said: “The investigation was on other things too but with regard to that particular issue, the Ombudsman concluded that there had been a number of meetings that had taken place where a written note wasn’t kept of the meeting.

“Obviously, that was not in accordance of the planning protocol, that was not in accordance of the wider guidance and hence there was an adverse finding by the Ombudsman.”

Melanie Hale, the council’s service manager for development, said it is a “good thing” councils work with developers to try and find the best outcome for a development.

She said it is also good practice for members of the planning committee to make themselves more familiar with developments prior to it coming to committee.

Ms Hale said pre-planning meetings are also part of the National Planning Policy Framework, the government’s statement of planning policy.

Members were assured by Mr Fisher that all officers in the planning department are “fully aware” of what records are required and insisted that written notes are kept of “all pre-planning meetings”.

A training session has been held for members of the planning committee following the Ombudsman’s findings, on top of annual training, he said.

Mr Fisher also said there had been “confusion” in relation to claims from greenbelt campaigners the council held 77 pre-planning meetings with housing developers over the last three years.

He said the information, which had come from a freedom of information request, had been “tied in” with the Ombudsman’s Florida Farm investigation, which he said was “completely misleading”.

Mr Fisher said: “The previous request for information referred to whether or not there was minutes kept of meetings.

“Now there is no requirement to keep minutes of meetings in the same way there is the requirement to keep minutes of council meetings.

“We’re talking about notes, that’s all.

“So, there’s a confusion there. There wasn’t minutes of meetings in regards to this freedom of information request.”

Ms Hale said the 77 meetings ranged from “one-man bands”, very small companies up to national housebuilders.

Mr Fisher said, bar “one or two” exceptions, there is “compliance” with planning protocol within the council.