Agenda item

(Planning Policy Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-058-2015/16).

(1)        That a growth bid in the sum of £976,390 for the District Development Fund Local Plan budget be agreed to cover the period up to and including 2018/19;

(2)        That a Continuing Services Budget supplementary estimate in the sum of £25,000 for 2015/16 be recommended to the Council for approval;

(3)        That a growth bid for the Continuing Services Budget in the sum of £75,000 in 2016/17 be agreed to formalise the previously agreed restructure of the Planning Policy team; and

(4)        That a revised figure for Public Relations Support be reported back to the Cabinet in early 2016 following the completion of the planned procurement exercise.

The Planning Policy Portfolio Holder presented an update report on the Budget and required resources for the Local Plan, and apologised for the Appendix being tabled at the meeting as it had not been included on the agenda.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the preparation of the Local Plan for Epping Forest District was an on-going and complex process, as the level of expert evidence that was required to support the emerging Local Plan was significant. The guidance on exactly what this should cover continued to evolve in light of the National Planning Policy Framework and its associated Guidance, and emerging Inspector Reports into other Local Plan Examinations throughout the country. Much of the evidence and support required expert knowledge on specific topics, and therefore necessitated commissioning external consultants with the requisite expertise and experience.

The Portfolio Holder stated that there was £496,410 currently allocated to the Local Plan in the District Development Fund, with the estimated total Budget for the preparation of the Local Plan currently £1,472,800. Therefore, a further budget of £976,390 from the District Development Fund was required before the planned adoption of the Local Plan in the Autumn of 2018, as per the current Local Development Scheme. It was also highlighted that, following the restructure of the Planning Policy Team to improve resilience and provide career progression opportunities, it was estimated that an increase in the Continuing Services Budget for the Planning Policy Team of £25,000 would be required for the remainder of 2015/16 and an increase of £75,000 from 2016/17. Therefore, a supplementary estimate was proposed for approval by the Council in 2015/16 and a growth bid for 2016/17.

The Cabinet welcomed the inclusion of a contingency for 2018/19, and an allocation for Public Relations support in 2016/17. However, it was feared that the allocation for Public Relations support would need to be increased to keep residents fully informed, and that the costs would escalate if the Local Plan was not approved by the Planning Inspector.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the figure for Public Relations support listed in 2016/17 would probably be spent over a number of years, and was in addition to the efforts of the Council’s own Public Relations team. The Portfolio Holder was happy to review the budget for Public Relations support and provide Members with an update at the next meeting of the Cabinet. The Director of Neighbourhoods added that the brief for Public Relations support could be extended to future years and the market could be tested as to the likely cost. It was intended to procure the Public Relations support early in 2016, and a confirmed cost could be reported back to the Cabinet following the completion of the procurement exercise.

The Portfolio Holder added that the forecasts were based on best estimates, and detailed answers to any queries could be provided to Members after the meeting. The Planning Policy team had been restructured to improve its resilience, and the replacement Project Officer was for a member of staff who was retiring and had been working primarily on Gypsy & Traveller issues. The costs of providing assistance for Neighbourhood Plans were met by the Continuing Services Budget, although the first £5,000 of the cost of each Plan was claimed back from the Government. It was the responsibility of the Local Council concerned to produce its own Neighbourhood Plan. All responses to public consultations were analysed by Planning Policy Officers as they had the necessary local knowledge.

The Director of Neighbourhoods indicated that the Council had spent approximately £3.3million on the generation of its Local Plan to date, and the Portfolio Holder undertook to provide Members with a definitive figure in the near future.

Decision:

(1)        That a growth bid in the sum of £976,390 for the District Development Fund Local Plan budget be agreed to cover the period up to and including 2018/19;

(2)        That a Continuing Services Budget supplementary estimate in the sum of £25,000 for 2015/16 be recommended to the Council for approval;

(3)        That a growth bid for the Continuing Services Budget in the sum of £75,000 in 2016/17 be agreed to formalise the previously agreed restructure of the Planning Policy team; and

(4)        That a revised figure for Public Relations Support be reported back to the Cabinet in early 2016 following the completion of the planned procurement exercise.

Reasons for Decision:

The preparation of a Local Plan was a statutory duty for Local Authorities, and must be formulated taking into account robust and up-to-date evidence.  Any Local Plan that was not supported by such evidence was more likely to be found unsound when examined by the Planning Inspectorate.

Best endeavours had been and continued to be made, to seek savings and cost efficient working where possible, for example, by making best use of economies of scale in preparing jointly commissioned evidence where appropriate. Examples of this to date included the preparation of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment and Functional Economic Area study across a four authority area.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

There were no other reasonable options for action as the preparation of a Local Plan was a statutory duty for the Council.