Development Plan Document Examinations - Programme Officer Guidance Notes
Annex 9 Standard Programme Officer Material
Annex 9.2 - THE DATABASE
The database is essential in ensuring the examination runs smoothly and effectively and provides the Programme Officer with the means to control all aspects of the process.
If the database has already been set up, the Programme Officer should inspect it carefully to ensure that it can provide the information in the format required both for the Council and The Inspector.
Table and Fields
Separate tables for respondents and representations, linked by respondent number are required
The Respondents Table
Fields for inclusion are:
Respondent Number
Title
Initials
Surname
Position
Company/Organisation
Representing on behalf of:
Address 1
Address 2
Address 3
Address 4
Postcode
Your ref
Telephone Number
Fax Number
Email
Remove from Mailing List
Reason
Notes
- A separate number for each respondent
- One record for each respondent
- The Respondent is the organisation. If this field is blank the respondent will be the title, initials and surname.
Occasionally you will be asked to remove a respondent’s details from the mailing list because they have moved away, removed their representation or died. A simple tick in the field ‘Remove from Mailing List’ coupled with an additional field entitle ‘Reason’ enables the appropriate information to be recorded.
The Representations Table
Fields for inclusion are:
Respondent Number
Representation Number
Object/support
Policy
Chapter/Paragraph
Test of Soundness (1 – 9)
Intent
Summary of Representation
Council’s response
Council’s proposed action
Respondent Evidence No
Council Evidence No
- One record per representation
- Each representation number should be a numerical sequence for each respondent e.g 01, 02 etc
- Every representation should have a different number
- The representation number can reflect the policy referred to e.g 1234/01 or 2345/Gen1. This can be produced automatically by combing two database fields and inserting a stroke (/) between them.
- Councils are strongly discouraged from producing pre-examination changes. However where representations relate to PECs or Omission Sites it will be necessary for this to be included in the database by the use of a suffix e.g 004/02/PEC or 004/02/OM
The critical part is that for respondents with multiple representations it is possible to identify each separate representation.
The Intent Field
This identifies how the respondents wish their representations to be dealt with:
- AE – Attending examination
- WR – Written Representation
- UC – Representation withdrawn
- CW – Representation conditionally withdrawn
- OR – Relying on original representation
A third table listing policies with policy titles may be useful in preparing reports.
Sorting the information in this manner will enable the creation of reports and queries.
In particular it is essential that the database can be interrogated regarding the number of representations for each test of soundness and or policy.
Only duly made representations, either objecting or supporting should be entered on the database.
All representations will need to be acknowledged and respondents advised of their respondent number. The summary of the representation can also be sent if it has been entered on the database
