[ Cork City Council - Annual Report 2020 ]
The re-opening brought about new changes including:
During the first and subsequent lockdowns, the delivery of the planning function was deemed an essential service by the LGMA/CCMA. Keeping the service operating during a pandemic required a re-thinking of how the service was delivered by the Development Management (DM) Department, as members of the public were restricted from travelling during that time-period. A number of measures were put in place including accepting submissions on planning applications online, setting up a ‘customer not present’ payment system to take payments over the phone by credit/debit card, improving communication with the public and stakeholders. All of this was done whilst facilitating remote working to ensure the safety of all staff within the Department. Whilst planning application numbers fell during the first month of lockdown, as the public settled into the new norm, interaction continued apace very much close to normal after that. The cessation of the emergency legislation on the 23rd of May saw a resumption of full services the following Monday 25th May, 2020.
• Operating an appointment only service for the planning counter, including recording of contact details for contact tracing • Setting up of dedicated email addresses for ease of communications with various sections
• Increase of email and telephone interaction with the public
• Improvement of website
• The introduction of legislation requiring the weekly planning list to be published in a timely manner and all applications validated and available to the public within 5 days of receipt
• The introduction of national Standard Operating Guidance (SOGs)
• Changes to how site inspections were to be carried out
• An increase in the use of Teams Meetings for pre-planning meetings, and SHDs tripartite meetings There was no derogation from statutory timelines during the second lockdown which expired on 1st December, 2020 and the planning function successfully operated as normal during this period save for the exception that the planning counter operated on an appointment only basis. Notwithstanding the challenges faced by the team, Planning Development Management dealt with approx. 9,668 interactions with the public through dedicated email addresses, attendance at the planning counter and telephone calls.
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