A NATIONAL park authority, warned over its planning procedures last year, is to vote on new policies next week.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park was shaken last April when a report by the district auditor criticised members for making some planning decisions with insufficient justification.
The report also alleged in-fighting between factions on the planning committee, irregularities in the decision-making process and a vulnerability to lobbying.
Some members were reported to have helped people bidding for planning permission by visiting them to help with the wording of appeals.
A stormy meeting a month later reluctantly agreed at least some of the comments were justified and a working group was set up to thrash out a new code of conduct.
Its findings will be tabled at a meeting at Bolton Abbey Village Hall on Tuesday.
Key recommendations include:
l A vote to be taken on whether the committee should make a site visit.
l A procedure to be followed at site visits, with the public given limited time to present their case.
l A ban on members expressing opinions on applications before all the facts have been presented during a meeting.
l A ban on members giving detailed advice to applicants.
Planning department head Peter Watson is urging the committee to accept the proposals.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article