Members of the public will have their right to debate planning applications curtailed under new rules to streamline the system.

Anyone who wants to make a speech at Brighton and Hove City Council's planning sub-committee - for or against proposed building work - now has to provide letters from five separate sources backing their point of view. Under the old regime just one letter was required.

Applications with fewer than five objections will not go to the committee and will instead be decided behind closed doors by unelected officers.

The change is designed to give politicians more time to focus on major developments affecting the whole city.

But it has been described as "an erosion of local democracy" by some worried councillors.

Gary Pelzer Dunn, leader of the Conservative opposition, said: "It shouldn't be made too difficult for residents to voice an opinion and I do believe this goes too far."

He had asked for the plan to be amended so that only three objection letters would be necessary.

"People who live in rural areas and who have only one or two neighbours may find it very hard to raise those five letters."

The planning sub-committee often sits for five hours at a time and meetings have grown longer since public speaking was introduced.

It is hoped that the amendments will make it easier for the council to hit Government targets on processing planning applications, which would mean more funding for the planning department.

The council wants to process 90 per cent of applications within eight weeks rather that the 84 per cent it currently deals with.

Environment spokeswoman Gill Mitchell said: "This mainly involves minor applications to speed up the process and councillors may still ask for an application to come before the committee."

Councillors have also pointed out that they will have less time to put requests before the committee as they can only now raise objections within the two or three week public consultation period.

An amendment was made to the original proposal so that conservation groups and those representing disabled people can refer applications to the committee without gathering five objections.

Thursday, July 14, 2005