CONCERNS have been raised about proposals to change the way planning applications are handled by Stroud District Council.

The authority claims the changes will speed up the processing of applications - however critics fear an erosion of local democracy.

At present, if recommendations by a town or parish council go against the advice of planning officers, the application automatically goes before the council's development control committee, where elected councillors make a decision.

Under the new proposals this would not be the case.

Instead a three member panel would consider the importance of the application and decide whether it should be presented to the committee.

If the panel does not deem the application to be of significant importance it would be decided by officers.

The plans have been set out in a letter to councillors from Cllr Barbara Tait, cabinet member for planning.

Cllr Tait pointed out that a recent Audit Commission report cited the current scheme of delegation as the reason for the council’s poor performance in processing planning applications.

However Cllr June Cordwell, district councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, said she believed town and parish councils were the only ones with the local knowledge needed for making planning decisions and that it would have a serious effect on local democracy.

"Towns and parishes are effectively being cut out of the planning process," said Cllr Cordwell.

Cllr Dennis Andrewartha, district councillor for Cam and a member of the development control committee, said changes to the system do need to be made to speed up the process but that towns and parishes should be given more powers.

"If we gave town and parish councils the power to sift through the objections they would know which ones were genuine or not," he said.

Cllr Tait said that the views of town and parish councils would still be taken into account.

"The input from town and parish councils is still extremely important to us and we always welcome their views when making a final decision.

"However, we believe that where their comments are contrary to an officer’s recommendation, it should not be automatic that the application is presented to the full DCC, as is the case at present.

"It should be noted that SDC is the only council in Gloucestershire that does so and this is reflected in our poor performance relative to the other neighbouring authorities."

Parish and town councils have until tomorrow to comment on the plans.