Issue - meetings

(Planning Policy Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report regarding the draft consultation of the Epping Forest District Local Plan.

The report will be considered at Cabinet on 6 October 2016 and if any amendments are made a supplementary agenda will be issued.

Please note that a paper copy of the draft consultation has been distributed to all Members within the Cabinet Agenda for 6 October 2016. Could Members ensure that they have this copy with them.

Mover: Councillor J Philip, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy

Councillor J Philip submitted a report endorsing the Draft Local Plan and non technical summary of the Sustainability Appraisal for the proposed consultation, which would commence for a six-week statutory period. He advised that the Draft Local Plan contained the Council’s vision and preferred approach for development in the District over the next 17 years and included draft policies to be used in determining planning proposals. Consideration had been given to reasonable alternatives as required by legislation. The Portfolio Holder drew attention to Appendix 2 of the report which contained the Non-Technical Summary of the Interim Sustainability Appraisal.

Amendment moved by Councillor C C Pond and Seconded by Councillor D Wixley

“subject to the removal from chapter 5 of any site which is public urban open space”

Councillors H Kauffman, S Murray, C C Pond, C P Pond and D Wixley requested a recorded vote.

There voted for the recommendation: (16) namely: Councillors R Baldwin, A Beales, R Brookes, L Girling, S Heap, B Jennings, J Jennings, H Kauffman, L Mead, S Murray, S Neville, C C Pond, C P Pond, C Roberts, D Roberts and D Wixley.

There voted against the recommendation: (30) namely: N Avey, R Bassett, H Brady,  G Chambers, K Chana, D Dorrell, R Gadsby, A Grigg, L Hughes, H Kane, S Kane, P Keska, Y Knight, J Lea, A Lion, M McEwen, A Mitchell, G Mohindra, R Morgan, A Patel, J Philip, B Rolfe, B Sandler, M Sartin, G Shiell, D Stallan, S Stavrou, E  Webster, C Whitbread and H Whitbread.

Abstentions: (4) namely: Councillors J Knapman, B Surtees J H Whitehouse and J M Whitehouse.

                                                                                                                        Lost

Following a further debate Councillor J Philip moved the recommendations on the agenda together with the following amendments to the Draft Local Plan, Chapter 5;

a) to clarify that for the purposes of the Draft Local Plan there would be an addition to paragraph 5.103 to make it clear that when reference was made to ‘North Weald Bassett’ it referred to the settlement of North Weald Bassett, recognising that the Parish encompasses North Weald Village, Thornwood and Hastingwood; and

b) to revise Figure 5.9 in relation to the site allocations of Waltham Abbey, to show the indicative green belt boundary amendment to run to the North of SR 0061B along the M25.

Carried

            RESOLVED:

(1)        That the Draft Local Plan as set out in report and the non technical summary of the Sustainability Appraisal as set out in the supplementary agenda be endorsed for the purposes of the proposed consultation;

(2)        That consultation on the Draft Local Plan under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012 be commenced for a 6 week statutory period from 31 October to 12 December 2016 inclusive in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement, and any representations received after 5.00pm on 12 December 2016 be deemed invalid;

(3)        That the Draft Local Plan be endorsed as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53

(Planning Policy Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-023-2016/17).

(Planning Policy Portfolio Holder) To consider the following revised and additional documents alongside the main report previously published:

            (i)         revised figures for the Housing and Traveller trajectories (page 359 of         the original agenda); and

            (ii)        additional information for the Non-Technical Summary (page 373 of             the original agenda).

(1)        That the Draft Local Plan (Appendix 1 of the report) and the non technical summary of the Sustainability Appraisal (Appendix 2 of the report) be endorsed and that consultation on the Draft Local Plan under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012 should commence for a 6 week statutory period from 31 October to 12 December 2016 in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement, and that representations received after 5.00pm on 12 December 2016 would be deemed invalid, be recommended to the Council for approval;

(2)        That the endorsement of the Draft Local Plan as a material consideration to be used in the determination of planning applications and enforcement decisions, in accordance with paragraph 216 of the National Planning Policy Framework, be recommended to the Council for approval; and

(3)        That the granting of delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhoods, in consultation with the Planning Policy Portfolio Holder, to make any necessary minor non-material amendments to the Draft Local Plan prior to the commencement of public consultation on 31 October 2016 be recommended to the Council for approval.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy presented a report on the Epping Forest District draft Local Plan for consultation.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the draft Local Plan outlined the Council’s vision and preferred approach for development in the District for the next 17 years. The draft Plan included the identification of sites for residential, traveller and economic growth (including strategic sites around Harlow within this District) to meet the needs as set out in the evidence base and also included draft planning policies for use in determining planning proposals. The Council was seeking to consult on the draft Local Plan under Regulation 18 of the Local Planning Regulations 2012. All comments received would be considered prior to the preparation of the Local Plan for publication, and this might result in changes to the draft Plan prior to publication of the pre-submission version of the Plan.

The Portfolio Holder reported that there would be further work undertaken on the assessment of employment sites – to understand the existing supply and therefore the overall need throughout the Plan period. The Council would then determine the most suitable sites for allocation, however, in the meantime, all the sites had been included that had been identified in order that the Council could obtain views during the consultation period.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that, in setting out the Council’s preferred strategy, consideration had been given to reasonable alternatives as required by legislation.  Appendix 2 of the report contained the Non-Technical Summary of the Interim Sustainability Appraisal – the full background report would form part of the consultation documentation. The Summary set out a comparison between the preferred Strategy and four reasonable alternatives for the spatial distribution of housing across the District. Table 3 in the report provided a summary of the findings and how the preferred Strategy performed in relation to the alternatives. The Non-Technical Summary had been updated since the Cabinet agenda was published – the only substantive change was to the monitoring arrangements which had been updated to reflect Appendix 3 of the Local Plan and the proposed monitoring indicators. These amendments would be included in the agenda for the Council meeting on 18 October 2016.

The Portfolio Holder also drew the Cabinet’s attention to minor changes in Appendix 5 – the Housing and Traveller Trajectories - as some of the original numbers were incorrect. The updated Appendix 5 reflected the corresponding Appendix in the Site Selection Report. The Cabinet’s attention was also drawn to a number of new pieces of key evidence which had not yet been published but had been used to inform the preparation of the Plan; these studies would be published prior to the consultation period. In addition, during preparation of the pre-submission version of the Local Plan, the Council would also be undertaking some additional work, including:

            (i)         Local Transport modelling on the sites proposed for allocation to understand the     highway improvements that would be necessary and to inform the Habitats Regulation         Assessment;

            (ii)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57