New measures have been introduced to ensure planning applications can still be heard in Hull during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hull City Council has introduced changes to allow applications to be considered by the local authority’s Planning Committee as steps are taken to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
It means the public will still be able to take part in Planning Committee meetings while also making sure applications are determined as efficiently as possible in a safe and transparent way.
Committee meetings will now be live-streamed here.
The committee will continue to sit monthly, but revised delegations have been agreed to mean just the more contentious applications are determined by the committee.
To ensure safety, members of the public will not be able to attend the committee. Instead, those wishing to make representations at committee can submit a written transcript to be read aloud at the meeting.
Video conferencing of the meeting will allow committee members to vote remotely while ensuring social distancing measures can be observed.
And morning site visits that would usually take place before the meetings will be replaced by committee members being shown a video of the site.
Alex Codd, Hull City Council’s assistant director of economic development and regeneration, said: “These measures will ensure planning applications are still heard without compromising the safety of members of the public, committee members or council staff.
“It is very important to the city’s economy that planning applications can still be heard in Hull and we are happy that we can now do this in both a safe and efficient way.”
