COUNCILLORS have called for their town council to have greater say on where contributions from developers should be spent.

Launceston Town Council’s planning committee at its meeting on December 1 discussed Section 106 (s106) agreements, also known at planning obligations, and the future use of s106 monies.

S106 agreements are agreements made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. A s106 is a legally binding document. They are used to achieve planning objectives, mitigate the impact of development and/or compensate for loss or damage caused by development.

Cllr Dave Gordon said Cornwall Council ‘has a two-tier structure’: “Planning West do discuss s106 and we don’t. I fail to see why Cornwall Council has got a two-tier structure.

“I just think it would be a major step forward if we [Launceston Town Council] were involved in the discussions. We should be involved at the first meeting on s106. We are still not having a say in it.”

Mayor Cllr Brian Hogan said: “The town and parishes should have a say on the s106 money. I think it hasn’t happened in the past.

“If the s106 money is really going to benefit the town then it should be looking at long term benefit to the town, not a ‘quick fix’. 106 is all about, as far as I’m concerned, long term benefit to the town.”

Cllr Roger Creagh-Osborne, who pointed out s106 is now becoming known as ‘community infrastructure levy’ (CIL), said: “We need to have an input into those discussions that at the moment are solely between Cornwall Council and the developer.”

The Post had previously put forward town councillors’ concerns on what they deemed to be inconsistencies across the county in being involved in s106 discussions.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: “The consultation process for planning applications is the same across Cornwall. Planning applications and any associated draft Section 106 agreements are publicly available via the planning register on our website and anyone, including town and parish councils, can comment on them.

“Committee reports also usually contain details of proposed Section 106 agreements, and these are publicly available on our website at least five working days before committee meetings.

“Town and parish councils have the opportunity to attend the committee meetings and make representations before decisions are taken on planning applications.”