Agenda item

Issues Raised by Local Councils

Meeting of Local Councils' Liaison Committee, Thursday 3rd November 2011 7.30 pm (Item 12.)

To discuss the following matters raised by Local Council’s:

(1) Invite to County Councillor Mrs Tracey Chapman, Portfolio Holder for Highways to speak on Highways issues and principally the North Essex Parking Partnership.

At the last meeting of the Local Council’s Liaison Committee on 21 July 2011, members requested that the County Council Portfolio Holder for Highways be invited to speak and answer questions on Highways issues and principally the North Essex Parking Partnership. An invite was sent to County Councillor Mrs T Chapman who responded that she could not attend the committee meeting on 3 November. An invite was also extended to the Deputy Portfolio Holder for Highways, County Councillor Mrs P Channer, who also could not attend. Officers attempted to approach the North Essex Parking Partnership for a representative to attend the committee but this was felt not to be feasible.

(2) County Councillor J Jowers, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Planning will attend the meeting to speak on the demise of area forums.

(3) Presentation by a Planning Officer regarding the New Draft National Policy Framework (attached). The following documents were submitted to the Planning Services Scrutiny Standing Panel:

(a) Report submitted to Planning Services Scrutiny Standing Panel on 3 October 2011;

(b) Appendix 1 – National Planning Policy Framework Questions; and

Minutes:

(a) Invite to County Councillor Mrs T Chapman, Portfolio Holder for Highways to speak on Highways issues and principally the North Essex Parking Partnership.

At the committee’s last meeting on 21 July 2011, members requested that the County Portfolio Holder for Highways be invited to speak and answer questions on highways issues and in particular the North Essex Parking Partnership. Subsequently an invite was sent to the County Portfolio Holder who said that she could not attend this committee meeting on 3 November. An invite was also sent to her Deputy Portfolio Holder, County Councillor Mrs P Channer who also advised that she could not attend. It was advised that officers had attempted to approach the North Essex Parking Partnership for a representative to attend this meeting but the Partnership was unable to provide an officer to attend.

Members requested that the invite should be issued again to the County Council for the Portfolio Holder or her Deputy to attend the committee meeting on 22 March 2012.

RESOLVED:

That an invite be sent to the Essex County Council Portfolio Holder, or Deputy Portfolio Holder, for Highways to attend the next Local Council’s Liaison Committee on 22 March 2012.

(b) County Councillor J Jowers, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Planning

County Councillor J Jowers, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Planning was introduced to the committee. He had been invited to speak on the demise of area forums. He had been a parish councillor at Mersea Island and Leader of Colchester Council.

County Councillor J Jowers accepted that many Town and Parish Councils valued the opportunity to meet with County afforded through the area forums. However, the County Council was required to save a further £340 million and on the basis that the Area Forum cost some £500,000 per annum to administer, it was felt the expenditure could no longer be justified. He went on to explain that the County Council was consulting generally on Essex wide partnership arrangements as a number of districts were no longer proceeding with their Local Strategic Partnerships, however he understood that the Epping Forest LSP was very active. In a response to a question from the Acting Chief Executive Councillor Jowers confirmed that the county would be prepared to contribute £15,000 to the local LSP costs. Councillor Jowers spoke about the proposed locality boards that were being considered involving District and County members. It was explained that a one size fits all approach was not being taken and agreed that the Local Council’s Liaison Committee was potentially a blue print for future arrangements in Epping Forest. Councillor Jowers felt that an option paper would be useful. He also went on to say that the Community Iniative Funding for the County (replaced by the Big Society Fund) had been protected and he welcomed applications from local groups.

RESOLVED:

That a paper on some of the options being considered for replacing Area Forums should be drafted and circulated to members.

(c) The Committee received a report from J Preston, Director of Planning and Economic Development, regarding the Draft National Planning Policy Framework Consultation and the views which EFDC had given.

The proposed National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) involved the deletion of all but one of the current Planning Policy Statements (PPS), all of the current Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG), and a small number of circulars, replacing these with a much shorter single document. The overall intentions were to:

(a) consolidate and streamline national planning policy reducing bureaucracy;

(b) promote sustainable economic growth while retaining important environmental and social objectives;

(d) more user friendly and accessible, making it easier for the public to have a meaningful say in planning decisions.

The consultation ran from a 12 week period from 25 July to 17 October 2011, there were 13,000 responses to the consultation nationally. The Director warned the members of the challenges to come. A lot of glasshouses in the area might be converted to housing later on for example, some changes to the application of Green belt policy could mean that the council had to have a 5 year supply of land plus an extra 20%.

It was advised that the growth of development was the only reasonable option. However this would cost the council more in resources. The presumption was in favour of sustainable development.

RESOLVED:

That the report regarding the Draft National Planning Policy Framework Consultation be noted.

Supporting documents: