THE Snowdonia National Park authority is to employ an additional enforcement officer.
The officer will be employed in the planning compliance service to help make improvements to the service to meet the authority’s objectives in the business and improvement plan.
Members of the park authority met during the summer when detailed plans for improvements were included in an action plan.
The aim is to give people a better understanding of why and when enforcement action is taken and how cases of alleged unauthorised development will take less time to be resolved.
Part of the role will include working with people of how cases are currently dealt with and how the system can be streamlined and ensuring value for money and how the enforcement team can be strengthened.
Talking to people who come into contact with the enforcement team, providing guidance notes and publishing the compliance service performance and keeping people informed, were highlighted as priorities at a meeting of the Park’s planning committee.
The existing compliance policy was established in 2005 and now the senior officers want the system simplified.
A planning compliance and monitoring report will be presented to authority members on the progress and outcomes of enforcement investigations and the monitoring of planning permissions.
A customer charter will include how the service works and how to report planning problems and give guidance.
Details in terms of the number of compliance cases opened and closed are currently being reported to authority members on a quarterly basis and this policy will be expanded to give details of compliance cases opened in each community council area.
The committee was informed by Aled Lloyd compliance officer than another staff member was expected to start in January and joining the compliance and enforcement unit.
The committee adopted the new plans and will get regular reports.