Agenda item

(The Leader of the Council) To consider the attached report (C-065-2009/10).

(1)        That the need for a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss the future preparation of the Gypsy and Traveller DPD be agreed;

(2)        That the draft letter tabled at the meeting be sent to the relevant Minister prior to the meeting, subject to the following additions:

(a)        generation of the Local Development Framework was not proving quicker than the old Local Plan process;

(b)        the cost of the Local Development Framework process so far and the total estimated cost; and

(c)        the impact of the Local Development Framework process upon the workload of the Forward Planning section;

(3)        That, subject to the addition of the above amendments, the draft letter to the Minister be ratified by the Council at its meeting scheduled for 19 January 2010.

(4)        That, pending the outcome of further discussions with the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East), preparation of the Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan Document be continued;

(5)        That the sites identified within the Options Consultation document not be rejected without formal consideration of the responses;

(6)        That Officers be authorised to continue discussions with Counsel and GO-East about prospective sites which were within or in close proximity to settlements; and

(7)        That the initial results of the analysis of the consultation responses be noted.

The Leader of the Council presented a report regarding Counsel’s advice on progress with the Gypsy & Traveller Development Plan Document (DPD), and the initial analysis of the Options Consultation responses.

The Leader of Council reported that Counsel had given advice about the future direction for the preparation of the Gypsy and Traveller DPD. Various options for action had been rejected, and other options had been discussed. It was felt that Officers should meet with the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East) in the light of the advice and because recent permissions and decisions by the Department of Communities & Local Government were making significant inroads into the Regional Spatial Strategy target set by the Single Issue Review. The Cabinet was requested to consider arranging a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss the particular issues facing the District. The Cabinet was also asked to note the initial quantitative results of the Options consultation responses.

The Leader added that the consultations undertaken so far by the Council had been very valuable and the residents were thanked for their responses. However, the whole process had taken approximately sixteen months to get to this stage. A letter to the Minister had been drafted and was tabled at the meeting. The three major points within the letter were:

(i)         the significant progress that had been made since 2006, with an increase in authorised sites and a decrease in unauthorised sites;

(ii)        the effect that this process was having on the overall development of a Local Development Framework; and

(iii)       the results of a review process carried out by the Planning Advisory Service, which had indicated that progress on the Core Strategy had been undermined by the development of the Gypsy & Traveller DPD as a separate process.

The Housing Portfolio Holder also thanked residents for their responses to the consultation, as this had provided much valuable information to the Council. However, the Portfolio Holder felt that elected Members had been disenfranchised by the process and would not be supporting the recommendations.

During discussions, three further key points were agreed for inclusion within the draft letter. These were: the generation of the Local Development Framework was not proving quicker than the old Local Plan process; the high cost that the Local Development Framework process had incurred so far and the total estimated cost; and the impact of the Local Development Framework process upon the workload of the Forward Planning section. It was felt that the Council had a good case and that the proposed meeting with the Minister provided the opportunity to re-enfranchise elected Members.

The Performance Management Portfolio Holder added that a number of Gypsies and Travellers had lived in the District for more than 20 years and were also unhappy with the process. The number of pitches within the District had increased over time through the normal planning process, and making Gypsies and Travellers a single, separate issue had slowed the process down. The Portfolio Holder felt that the Council had a firm evidence base with which to inform the Minister that the current process was flawed, slow, and very costly.

The Director of Planning & Economic Development added that residents could express their views directly to the Minister, and that it was planned to adopt the Core Strategy by 2013.

The Leader of the Council stated that GO-East had not responded to any of the Council’s recent queries, and that a letter and meeting with the relevant Government Minister should be the next stage in the process. It was hoped that the three local Members of Parliament would also bring pressure to bear upon the Minister on the District’s behalf.

Decision:

(1)        That the need for a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss the future preparation of the Gypsy and Traveller DPD be agreed;

(2)        That the draft letter tabled at the meeting be sent to the relevant Minister prior to the meeting, subject to the following additions:

(a)        generation of the Local Development Framework was not proving quicker than the old Local Plan process;

(b)        the cost of the Local Development Framework process so far and the total estimated cost; and

(c)        the impact of the Local Development Framework process upon the workload of the Forward Planning section;

(3)        That, subject to the addition of the above amendments, the draft letter to the Minister be ratified by the Council at its meeting scheduled for 19 January 2010.

(4)        That, pending the outcome of further discussions with the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East), preparation of the Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan Document be continued;

(5)        That the sites identified within the Options Consultation document not be rejected without formal consideration of the responses;

(6)        That Officers be authorised to continue discussions with Counsel and GO-East about prospective sites which were within or in close proximity to settlements; and

(7)        That the initial results of the analysis of the consultation responses be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

Any significant extension to the timetable for preparing the DPD would have significant implications for other Forward Planning work, notably the Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework. Ignoring or rejecting Counsel advice could lead to the intervention of the Secretary of State with decisions being taken on the location of sites for new pitches which were outside the control of this Council.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To reject or ignore Counsel advice.