Planning guidance for prospective developers of tourism accommodation has proved a success and helped to add to the range and quality of places to stay in the East Riding. Following the launch of the new guidance in March 2011, a monitoring exercise was carried out to assess its impact on both pre-application advice and planning decisions. In the first nine months since the guidance note became operational, 77 of the 89 applications were approved – a success rate of 86.5%. Pre-application correspondence and advice, however, did show that the guidance needed to be referred to more widely so that, for example, proper consideration was given to the economic element of some proposals. Using the guidance at the earliest possible stage increases the likelihood of a proposal gaining in-principle support from the council’s planning department. Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for economic development, tourism and rural issues, said: ”I welcome the development of the guidance as it provides additional support and encouragement for the vital tourism sector which has such a big impact on the local economy. “I appreciate this has been something of a ‘trial run’ for measures that are intended to be included in the formal Local Plan, which…

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