OFFICERS at Bromsgrove District Council have pressed the fast forward button to help speed up the process for people making planning applications.

Registry officers at the authority have notched up a first for cutting down on the time set for dealing with planning applications from householders, businesses and community organisations.

The four-strong team has speeded up its work to reduce the time taken to submit applications to planning case colleagues.

Planning committee chairman Cllr Dennis Norton said: "Staff have done an excellent job in quickening the registration process from an average of nine working days to just two and a half -- half a day less than the council-set three-day target.

"It is the first time we have exceeded the target."

On average the council's planning department deals with 1,400 applications a year - a significant workload for the size of the district, according to the authority.

The improvements in registry follow the re-organisation of the planning department, including the setting up of a separate planning administration division.

The authority's head of planning services, Malcolm Griffiths, said: "This will help enormously for us to meet the Government guideline eight-week target for planning applications to be determined by the council.

"It gives the planning officers an extra week and a half to do what they have to do.

"Obviously the time taken varies on the different types of applications that are received because some are more complex than others but, we have always endeavoured to do our best with each application," added Mr Griffiths.