BURY Council is one of the top 10 performing planning authorities in the country.

The planning department dealt with 1,328 minor applications last year, spending less than eight weeks on each.

A total of 18 major applications were dealt with in under 13 weeks.

The number of major applications has halved since 2016 but there has been a higher number of applications overall.

The high numbers of applications and the pressure to maintain quick turnarounds has resulted in the use of Planning Performance Agreements (PPA) and pre-applications remains high, according to a council report.

A PPA is an agreement between the council and the applicant to ensure that each party meets their own respective deadlines within the planning process to deliver a planning decision within the agreed timeframe.

There are charges that the planning authority will make for this process that cover costs associated with the process and guarantees each step of the process by the given date.

Last year there were only two PPAs, down from seven in the previous year, but 157 pre-applications were received in 2018/19.

Pre-applications are a "useful" means of applications being developed in a "cohesive" and "inclusive" way, according to the development management update.

It allows the local planning authority (LPA) to influence what is submitted and highlight key issues that may arise during the planning application process.

The report said: "Early intervention and close working together with an applicant should produce better and more informed planning applications and where it is relevant, the LPA can encourage local consultation by the applicant with neighbouring properties."

It also said that these schemes can be amended before being formally submitted to respond to local concerns.