Mock Committee & Deputation Preparation – Getting you ready for your committee decision

A mock committee session in the immediate run up to the decision committee, following the publication of the officer’s report, can help you to hone your deputation’s message, ensure it covers all the likely issues and concerns of members and, importantly, give you practice under pressure of questioning from the Cratus team as ‘mock’ committee members.

We can utilise our experience of a planning authority, and knowledge of the characters and interests of committee members, to advise you on what the committee will want to hear, how you should present difficult or controversial aspects of a proposal and what questions an applicant is likely to receive from committee members. Further, we can help to write and edit the final text to be read to committee.

Planning committees – particularly some of their more characterful members – can be unpredictable and do not always follow officer recommendation. A councillor may raise a single issue that can begin to dominate debate and on contentious schemes this can swing a vote to a refusal. A solid deputation which clearly presents the merits, qualities and local benefits of a proposal can help insure against this.

Our team has several former and sitting councillors who have personally determined applications from both sides of the political aisle. We are experts in understanding what drives local decision making, and can translate this into an excellent deputation for your application.

This session can form part of a wider programme of work to support your application or as a single ‘off the shelf’ service. With all the work complete to get an application to committee, a solid deputation and preparation for a Q&A are the last actions you can undertake prior to the committee vote. A mock committee session can help you achieve this, and maximise your applications chance of gaining planning consent.