8 Managing and Resourcing Community Involvement
8.1 This SCI is based on a realistic and robust assessment of likely resource availability over the next three years. Lancaster City Council cannot resource large-scale community and stakeholder consultation. It has therefore sought within this document to devise and codify community involvement which is achievable, continuous and effective whilst being realistic and deliverable.
8.2 The Council does not have the resources to undertake separate consultations with all local interest groups. The Lancaster Local Strategic Partnership and its constituent building blocks will be a key means of accessing views from a wide range of groups within a manageable structure. One Voice will be used to access the views of disability groups (see Paragraph 2.11).
8.3 It is essential that sufficient resources are made available to implement the consultation measures set out in this SCI. The City Council will be responsible for making appropriate resources available and it is envisaged at this stage that the proposed consultation measures can be met in-house. External facilitators will not be required to deliver the measures set out in this SCI but, if the future resource position permits the use of more advanced measures such as ‘Planning for Real’, this position will be reviewed.
8.4 The Forward Planning Manager will be responsible for delivering the Local Development Framework. Development Plan documents will be drafted by the Council’s Forward Planning team. Key decisions on Development Plan documents will be taken by Cabinet informed by a Planning Policy Cabinet Liaison Group of elected members. Minor decisions will be taken jointly by the Cabinet Members with responsibility for Regeneration and Rural Affairs advised by the Liaison Group. The adoption of Development Plan Documents will require a resolution by full Council. Public Community Involvement on Planning Applications will be delivered by the Council’s Development Control Manager.