Agenda item

(Planning & Governance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-008-2017/18).

That the following be noted:

(a)      the findings of the Draft Local Plan Consultation; and

(b)      current progress in relation to the production of the Local Plan.

The Cabinet considered a report of the Planning and Governance Portfolio Holder, setting out the findings of the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan Consultation that had been undertaken in late 2016, in accordance with the Council’s agreed Statement of Community Involvement. The Portfolio Holder reminded members that an interim analysis of the results of the consultation exercise had been considered by the Cabinet in March 2017.

Members were advised that the Council had received a large number of representations to the Draft Local Plan Consultation, from a wide range of stakeholders.  The Portfolio Holder reported that a detailed analysis of the comments received had now been completed and presented a summary of the key issues raised, which provided both quantitative and qualitative analysis and the Council’s response to each issue. Members noted that the full analysis of the responses to the consultation was available as a published background paper to the report of the Portfolio Holder, which also detailed the most frequent comments made in all forms of response to the consultation.

The Cabinet noted that, since the end of the period for the site selection process used to inform the Draft Local Plan, a significant number of additional ‘new’ residential sites had been put forward for consideration in the finalisation of the Local Plan. Members were advised that some landowners/site promoters had also requested changes to the boundaries of residential sites, that many amended residential sites were also now to be assessed and that three sites had been withdrawn from consideration. The Portfolio Holder reported that a process of further detailed assessment of potential sites would now be commenced, taking into account comments received through the Draft Local Plan consultation, which would result in a further site selection process. The Cabinet was advised that the site selection methodology would be published on the Council’s website, but that it was not currently possible to indicate whether any sites proposed for allocation in the Draft Local Plan would change as a result of this process. The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Council was committed to assessing and evaluating all site options consistently and robustly, in accordance with its agreed methodology and national planning policy guidance.

The Portfolio Holder reported that, as part of the finalisation of the new Local Plan, the Council was required to produce a Consultation Statement setting out how it had involved local communities, stakeholders and statutory bodies in the formulation of the Local Plan. Members noted that the Consultation Statement would provide a summary of the main issues raised by the Regulation 18 consultation and how representations had been taken into account in the plan preparation process. The Cabinet was advised that member and local council workshops would remain an ongoing part of this process.

As part of the report of the Portfolio Holder, the Cabinet also received an update on the current position in relation to the completion of the Local Plan. The Cabinet was advised that the Regulation 19 Pre-Submission Local Plan was due to be published in early 2018, at which stage the Council would invite comments in relation to the soundness and legal compliance of the Plan. The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Local Plan would then be submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for Examination-in-Public.

RESOLVED:

That the following be noted:

(a)       the findings of the Draft Local Plan Consultation; and

(b)       current progress in relation to the production of the Local Plan.

Reasons for Decision:

The report provided the Cabinet with the results of the Regulation 18 consultation on the Draft Local Plan and set out current progress in relation to the development and finalisation of the Local Plan.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were considered appropriate. Although the findings of the Regulation 18 consultation was not formally required to have been reported to the Cabinet, the Council needed to continue to make timely progress on the preparation of the Local Plan in order to avoid the risk of intervention in the process by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.