Dominic Twomey said there are “too many of them in our parades and high streets”, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
New powers will help Barking and Dagenham Council stop more betting and vape shops from opening in the borough, its Labour leader has said.
Council leader Dominic Twomey said changes to government planning policy would help it block new shops. However, he defended other changes that will stop councillors from having a say over “minor” planning applications.
Cllr Twomey said there was an “absolute proliferation” of betting and vape shops in the borough, with “too many of them in our parades and high streets”.
The government announced in August that it would create a new category in planning law for vape shops, so that they are not considered to be the same as other shops.
That will mean that if someone wants to convert one type of shop into a vape shop, they will need planning permission first.
So-called ‘adult gaming centres’ – gambling and fruit machine arcades – will also need planning permission.
Additionally, the government announced it would scrap the ‘aim to permit’ rule, which steers councils away from trying to block betting shops.
Speaking to a full council meeting on Wednesday (23rd) Cllr Twomey said: “That announcement means that we won’t be getting more betting shops and we’ll be taking action around vape shops.”
He added that national planning law meant the council had “not had local power” to prevent vape and betting shops opening previously.
Other changes to planning law, set to come in on 1st November, will restrict which planning applications councillors will get to decide on.
Most planning applications are decided by council planning staff rather than councillors. However, councillors on a planning committee make the decision on certain applications.
These are often larger developments but can also include applications that a lot of people have objected to, or ones that councillors have asked to be sent to the committees.
Government reforms now mean that planning staff will decide on all ‘minor’ applications, such as loft conversions or extensions, and remove councillors’ right to ‘call in’ plans to be decided at committee.
Committees will also only get a say on developments of ten homes or more.
Reform UK opposition leader Ben Suter called on the council to lobby the government to drop those changes.
He said: “We may hear that these are only small applications. They may be small to you, they may be small to the government, but it doesn’t mean they’re small to our community.”
However, Cllr Twomey said the changes would ensure the council’s planning committee spent its time considering “major commercial development”.
He added that plans for house extensions or loft conversions have to meet “very clear criteria” before planning officers will approve them.
The meeting rejected Cllr Suter’s call to oppose the changes, with Labour councillors voting against, Reform councillors in favour and the Greens abstaining.
