Agenda item

Report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director.

The Committee considered a report of the Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director regarding Thermal Comfort Guidelines.

The Chair commended this work. The Interim Chief Planning Officer and Development Director reported that this work merged together sunlight, wind, heat and humidity through the seasons to really understand how locations felt for those using that space, quantifying this and assessing applications in terms of their impact on users. Members were informed that this work was quite revolutionary globally and that Officers hoped to be able to further refine it in due course as more lessons were learned.  It was not felt that this would be onerous on developers or applicants as it built upon the Microclimatic work that they were already required to do.

A Member questioned whether the guidelines would have any legal standing or were simply advisory. Officers reported that the guidelines would be a planning advice note and not supplementary planning guidance. The Chair added that where he and the Deputy Chair were meeting applicants, they were emphasising the importance of these guidelines.

RESOLVED – That Members adopt the Guidelines as a Planning Advice Note.