Business and Corporate Plan 2003-2004
Background to the Inspectorate
The Inspectorate has been an Executive Agency since 1992.We report to the First Secretary of State at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Welsh Assembly Government under the terms of a Framework Agreement, which is currently being reviewed.We serve ODPM and the Welsh Assembly Government by dealing with appeals and other casework under planning, housing, environment and allied legislation. We also carry out similar work for other Government Departments, particularly the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on access, rights of way and environmental appeals and the Department for Transport (DfT) on highway orders and other matters.
We have a total, current staff of just over 750, of whom almost 300
are Inspectors who work from home. Our headquarters is in Temple Quay
House, Bristol but we also have a Welsh Group, located in Cathays Park,
Cardiff, which supervises our operations in Wales.
We are funded by ODPM and by the Welsh Assembly Government, whom we
recharge for our work in the Principality. Costs of work carried out
for other bodies (for example the cost of providing an Inspector to local
planning authorities for a development plan inquiry) are recovered. During
2003-2004, we expect to receive funding totalling some £43.9millions
(including the contribution from Wales) and to earn receipts of some £ 6.4millions.
The beginning of 2003 saw the start of an ODPM-sponsored “End to End Review”, which is looking at how we receive and process planning appeals. The “End to End Review” coincides with the passage through Parliament of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. Both the Review and the Bill are fundamental planks of the Government’s agenda for planning reform.
The provisions of the Bill include the re-casting
and speeding up of the development plans system and the handling of major
infrastructure projects and introduction of timetables for all First
Secretary of State planning cases.
The Bill will make the handling of planning applications both by local
authorities and central government quicker and more efficient, and facilitate
the use of compulsory purchase powers for land assembly for regeneration.
The Bill and the wider planning reform agenda will place additional
pressures on the Inspectorate and we are giving careful consideration
to resources and priorities to ensure that we are ready to respond to
the challenges that lie ahead.
This Plan sets out the Inspectorate’s:
- business planning priorities for 2003-2004;
- performance, quality and financial targets for 2003-2004; and,
- longer term corporate objectives for the three year period.
Our performance for the current year, 2002-2003, is set out in
Annex A and will be published in our Annual Report and Accounts.
More details of the casework with which we deal will be published on
our web site, www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk, in a separate Statistical
Report.
Our Vision and Objectives
Our Vision for the Inspectorate is
For the Inspectorate to be the prime source of impartial expertise for resolving disputes about the use of land, natural resources and the environment.
Our objectives for the Inspectorate are
To be recognised as applying policy consistently and authoritatively;
and to ensure that the Inspectorate’s collective expertise benefits
the policy making process.
To develop and maintain a highly-motivated, welltrained, united and diverse
workforce.
To meet the targets set by Ministers.
To obtain and use resources economically, efficiently, effectively and
in an environmentally friendly way.
To maintain, and wherever possible improve, the quality
of our work and to operate in a user-friendly way.
To promote awareness of the Planning Inspectorate’s
activities and to increase respect for its services.
