Development team approach
The development team approach combines building control, planning, highways and other regulatory services into single a development team for specific proposals. Investors and developers are able to meet with all services at one time. The development team in effect becomes part of the design team.
Development types that qualify for this approach
This approach is intended to larger developments, whether industrial, commercial or residential. The criteria are:
- 10 or more residential dwellings
- residential developments covering more than 0.5 hectares
- commercial developments with 1000 square metres of floorspace
- commercial developments of more than 1 hectare.
How the approach works
Any investor or developer is able to make contact with a named officers in any participating service. They can request a meeting at which representatives from each of the participating services will be present. This will be arranged within 10 working days of the request.
Having given this notice you will then be able to come to the council's Civic Offices in Grays to meet the representatives as a single development team. These team will be able to give authoritative advice concerning the proposal being discussed.
In this way the investors and developers avoid having to arrange separate meetings with individual services.
Investors or developers that have already established good contacts with the council may continue contacting the officers they have previously dealt with. The development team approach is to help investors that have not previously dealt with the council, or that feel this arrangement would be to their advantage.