Sligo County Council’s Planning Department was short-listed for the 2006 Chamber of Commerce ‘Excellence In Local Government’ Awards. Outgoing Director of Services Pat Forkan, who retired earlier this month, outlines the background to this achievement, and discusses their success in delivering a customer focused service to the people of Sligo.

Being shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in Local Government’ Award is great news for Sligo County Council’s Planning Section - can you give the background to this achievement?

An independent customer survey was commissioned in 2003 to examine customer satisfaction in relation to a range of services provided by Sligo County Council and this indicated that 30% of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the delivery of the planning service. This led to a comprehensive examination of the planning system with a view to improving customer service.

What particular areas did you target inthis examination?

The project identified three key areas which needed considerable improvement: in the first place it was apparent that 40% of all the planning applications submitted were invalid and had to be returned to the applicant causing significant customer dissatisfaction. Secondly, 40% of the valid applications required further information requests in order to process them, causing further delays. Thirdly, less than 60% of the decisions were made within the eightweek period.

To tackle these issues a number of seminars were held with architects/agents representing the customers and these dealt with the issues of valid applications and proper content of application. To assist in this area, a dedicated validation team was set up to examine each application as it arrived at the counter and validated there and then. In addition, the area planners have weekly preplanning meetings to deal with the various applications and particularly to highlight the issues of content and design. A site assessment panel was formed to deal with waste water treatment.

To co-ordinate the movement of files through the system, an electronic tracking system was used which ensured that all planning files were referred for internal and external reports and returned in good time for planners’ reports to be prepared and decisions made.

What is the end product of this process in terms of tangible benefits for the customer?

With improved communication and high quality team work, improvements showed quickly and results for the half year up to the end of June 2006 were very encouraging - the number of invalid applications had fallen to 1% of the total from 40%, the number of Further Information requests had fallen to 12.5%. 85% of decisions are now made within eight weeks of the receipt of a planning application. Customers can now examine files in a variety of ways either on the website, on screens in the Council Offices or hard copy at the counter.

What general issues concern the public most in relation to planning in County Sligo?

In general, what people want is fair play from their planning authority and they have a deep rooted desire to be dealt with in an honest and upfront manner. The simple question often asked is ‘Why can I not get planning permission for my house or my development when someone else can, in what seems to be similar circumstances?’ This is a fundamental issue in relation to the delivery of a publicly accepted, balanced planning service. Our customers may be a young couple who just want to build a house in a rural location, a speculative housing developer who owns land in a town location or a large property developer, all of whom will have on board, as part of their team to deal with the planning process, an Architect, a Consultant or an Agent. Most of these will see the planning process as an obstacle to be overcome on the path of proceeding with a development. The guidelines for Planning Authorities on sustainable rural housing published by the Minister in 2005 have certainly helped in processing rural housing applications.

How would you summarise the role of the local authority in shaping the future development of our county?

Our role in actively promoting development of a high standard can be seen in the emergence of new hotels, shopping centres, offices and apartments - these are giving Sligo its distinctive, vibrant new feel. 

This is matched by public sector investment in the new Inner Relief Road, Sligo Main Drainage Waste Water  Treatment Plant, Water Supply expansion and broadband infrastructure, the pedestrianisation of O’Connell St and other proposed improvements to Sligo City Centre. There are also other public sector investments through agencies such as the I.D.A., the Health Service Executive the Sligo Institute of Technology and St. Angela’s Third Level College.

The towns and villages around Sligo have also experienced serious growth in recent years, and this has also been the case in the main towns of Ballymote, Enniscrone and Tubbercurry. This has breathed life into our main towns and villages, and is reflected in the active involvement by more young people in community affairs. One of our main objectives  in promoting development is to facilitate active, dynamic communities.

Are you looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead for Sligo County Council’s Planning Section?

It is often remarked that the greatest resource an organisation has is its staff. Three years ago the staff in the planning directorate earned the coveted ‘Excellence Through People’ Award, and I feel we are fortunate in the planning section in having a dedicated, professional work force committed to delivering the highest standards of customer service. Over the last ten years we have developed a strong working relationship with the design community which has helped improve both the quality of application and quality of design.

Do you envisage a bright future for Sligo?

I think we are very fortunate to live in this part of the country. When you consider what Sligo has to offer in terms of scenic amenities and cultural tourism, there is no limit to what we can achieve. One of the functions of the local authority is to work with the local communities to explore ways in which our quality of life can be enhanced.

Our immediate challenge is to ensure that sustainable communities are developed over the coming years which will deliver a high quality of life, which all Sligo citizens aspire to.

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