BRIGG PLANS COMING TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU

Coun Ben Nobbs projecting the plans, watched by Town Clerk Jeanette Woollard.

Brigg Town Council has entered a new technological era. It was not exactly one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind – but town councillors have had to boldly go where none had before...in five decades.
Ever since its formation in 1974, Brigg Town Council has received printed copies of planning applications (and supporting documents) from a higher level of local government.
It was originally Brigg-based Glanford Borough Council which provided the paperwork, and since 1996 it has been the North Lincolnshire unitary authority.
However, keen to save time, cut costs, improve efficiency and embrace the latest technology, North Lincolnshire planners have axed the paper method and told town and parish councils, from Haxey to Goxhill, they must now view relevant applications on the internet, using the special planning portal at www.northlincs.gov.uk
Brigg Town Council objected and understood North Lincolnshire Council was reviewing its decision. But no paper plans have been received in recent weeks at the Town Council Office, leaving chairman Coun Ben Nobbs and fellow members of the Planning and Environment Committee in a very difficult position.
Should they reluctantly agree to embrace the technology by using the website system? Or should they stick to their original objection, in which case how were they going to view Brigg applications without a flow of paper plans into Angel Suite HQ?
The resourceful Coun Nobbs decided on a trial run - and a laptop computer and screen duly appeared in the Angel Suite to display all plans for the benefit of committee members.
He had already downloaded the necessary files off the North Lincolnshire Council website and took charge of the laptop keyboard himself as plans for the County Bridge, and other applications, came up for discussion.
Many councillors found it necessary to move right to the front of the room, adjoining the Press tables, to be able to see the plans and accompanying reports as they came up on the projector screen.
Although it had been possible to borrow some of the kit required to display plans at the meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee, Coun Nobbs made it clear that practice could not continue indefinitely.
So, at the Brigg Town Council meeting which followed immediately after the planning session, councillors approved up to £550 to buy the necessary equipment.
In addition to providing displays at planning meetings, the new laptop can be used to show plans to members of the public visiting the Town Council office and also by the Angel Suite manager, Karen Deeley, as part of her duties in marketing the facility online and dealing with correspondence.
Coun Jenny Bell remained very unhappy about the change in planning policy which she stressed was now an additional cost on Brigg chargepayers.
“I think North Lincolnshire Council should buy us this computer because they have stopped sending us paper plans and they are saving money,” she declared.
Coun Nobbs said North Lincolnshire Council had pointed out that grants for such equipment had been available a couple of years ago to local councils under a Government technology scheme, but Brigg had not applied as it did not know the paper system was about to end.
Coun James Truepenny warned that councils in general should be mindful of disability access laws when it came to expecting people to view information on-screen, which some could not do, or would find difficult.
Coun Rob Waltham, who also serves on North Lincolnshire Council, explained that Brigg people without home internet access could use computers at the Link Office and the town’s Library. Viewing plans at Brigg Town Council’s office was not the only option.
Coun Mel Oades then summed up the discussions in a nutshell by saying: “We are not going to change North Lincolnshire Council’s stance on this, I believe, although, yes, it is going to cost us money.”

Councillors who came forward to get a better look at the projected plans. Left to right: Couns Jackie Brock, Jane Kitching, Ann Eardley (front), Jenny Bell and Chris Dyson.

One of the on-screen planning documents.



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