Agenda item

(Planning Policy Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-019-2016/17).

(1)        That the Consultation Strategy for the draft Local Plan, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be agreed.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy presented a report on the draft Local Plan Consultation Strategy.

The Portfolio Holder reported that this report sought agreement for the Consultation Strategy for the forthcoming Regulation 18 consultation on the Draft Local Plan scheduled for 31 October 2016 to 12 December 2016. Following the Local Plan Issues and Options consultation, the Council had reviewed the methodologies used and the comments received. In deciding the best consultation approaches for the Draft Local Plan, lessons learned and previously used and useful engagement practices were considered. Members had requested that a Public Relations consultancy (Remarkable consultants) be commissioned to offer specialist support and to review the Council’s engagement methods to date, the adopted Local Plan Consultation Strategy, and Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). The outcome of the review had resulted in the proposed Draft Local Plan Consultation Strategy submitted for approval, to guide the approach to be taken for the upcoming statutory consultation.

In response to questions from the Members present, the Portfolio Holder stated that the number of staffed exhibitions around the District had been reduced from the number that were previously held for the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation to align more closely with the proposed development. The Portfolio Holder was not minded to hold additional exhibitions in the Debden area as there would be sufficient time for residents of Debden to visit the planned static information display at Loughton Library from 31 October to 12 December as well as the staffed exhibition in Loughton scheduled for 7 November 2016. The Director of Neighbourhoods added that the staffed exhibition in Chigwell had been moved from the Parish Council Offices as this venue was considered too small for the likely attendance. The Portfolio Holder also confirmed that the dates listed in the draft Strategy for the exhibitions had been finalised.

The Portfolio Holder reassured the Cabinet that, although the layout had not yet been finalised, there would be scope for respondents to make additional comments on the web forms for the Consultation, as the Council would want as much feedback as possible from residents. To artificially restrict the information gathered would not be beneficial for either the Council or the draft Local Plan. It was confirmed that the Member Toolbox would be distributed electronically initially on 7 October 2016, with printed copies distributed to Members after the Council meeting on 18 October 2016. The information leaflets to be distributed to households within the District could also distributed to local businesses to give as much publicity as possible for the Consultation.

The Cabinet welcomed the draft Strategy presented by the Portfolio Holder, and felt that the Council was much better prepared than it had been for the ‘Issues and Options’ stage. The Portfolio Holder stated that lessons from the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation had been incorporated and the Consultation was being publicised on social media in order to widen the reach of the publicity.

Decision:

(1)        That the Consultation Strategy for the draft Local Plan, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be agreed.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council was required to follow the engagement methods outlined in the Statement of Community Involvement adopted in 2013. In addition, and in order to ensure that the consultation for the Draft Plan was successful, consultants had been commissioned to update the Council’s Consultation Strategy ensuring that it was in line with the Statement of Community Involvement, the Council’s adopted Local Plan Consultation Strategy and took account of the lessons learnt from previous engagement exercises.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not approve the Draft Local Plan Consultation Strategy; however, this could lead to the draft Local Plan being found to be ‘unsound’ at the Examination in Public.