PRESSURES facing a council’s planning department have been highlighted in a report which has found its overall performance to be “good”.
For the past three years, up to and including 2025/26, Torfaen Borough Council received more planning applications than it determined while it has also had to respond to several nationally significant wind and solar farm applications.
The department’s handling of planning applications is detailed in its annual planning services performance report with performance rated as “good” on 12 of 15 indicators.
However the average time taken to take positive enforcement action, where there has been a breach of planning regulations, at 154.5 days is rated “fair”.
The two indicators rated as “in need of improvement” both relate to the authority’s failure to put in place a replacement local development plan to identify land suitable for development.
The council has said it addressing these as it is preparing a joint local development plan with Blaenau Gwent which will cover both boroughs, including planning policies.
Pressure on the planning department is highlighted by demands placed on it due to developments of national significance and recruitment struggles.
The report states the council failed to attract any applicants, through a Welsh Local Government Association scheme, to a graduate planning officer post. That post, and a planning officer role which is due to be advertised, remained vacant at the time of writing the report.
The council also employs a planning consultant who works two days a week to deal with, advise and support officers on, major and complex planning applications among other tasks.
Heritage officer
The council has however appointed a heritage officer who is able to determine some listed building applications, under delegation from conservation body Cadw, which has allowed planning officers more time to carry out other duties.
The report also describes Torfaen as a “relatively small local planning authority with a small workforce” which can be “challenged” when large projects are submitted at the same time.
It highlights the demand responding to developments of national significance, which although determined by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), require the council to produce detailed local impact reports.
The report states: “Consultation requests from PEDW, relating to Development of National Significance (DNS) applications for three windfarms and a solar farm, were received in a relatively short period of time.
“Local Impact Reports (LIR) must be submitted to PEDW within five weeks of the date the request was received. These reports are complex and require internal consultation. They also must be reported to the planning committee. It is difficult for officers to prioritise and plan for such ‘additional’ workload whilst managing their existing workload.”
467 applications in 2025/26
Torfaen received 467 applications in 2025/26 and determined 433, which continues a trend since 2023/24 of failing to determine all applications received within the year, and the report states: “This is primarily due to officer workload and failure to fill vacant posts.”
Each application took on average, 61.5 days to determine which was the best performance in Wales. The council recruited new officers, and changed some of its process, midway through 2023/24 to deal with a backlog of planning applications.
In 2025/26 it was second best in Wales in determining applications within the required time periods of either eight weeks or within agreed extensions.
Its planning officers currently have an average case load of 38 applications with two senior officers working four days a week.
Of 12 appeals, against a refusal of planning permission, that were decided during the year, 83.3 per cent were dismissed, which was the fifth highest percentage of appeals dismissed in Wales.
Overall, the council states it is judged the sixth best-performing planning authority in Wales, with many performance indicators well above the Welsh average.