Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place

Please note that this was not a Key Decision so can be implemented by officers with immediate effect.

Cabinet was asked to endorse the proposed ‘Statement of Common Ground’ on Strategic Planning, prepared by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

Cabinet heard that the Localism Act 2011 placed a duty on local planning authorities, county councils, and other public bodies to co-operate in order to maximise the effectiveness of Local Plan preparations, in the context of strategic cross boundary matters. The proposed Statement of Common Ground had been prepared in consultation with the Council’s Planning officers and the officers of other planning authorities covered by the Mayoral Combined Authority and also Derbyshire County Council. Each of these authorities had now been asked to sign the proposed Statement, the text of which was appended to the report as Appendix 1.

Cabinet considered the report. Members heard that other Statements of Common Ground had been agreed by different authorities on specific strategic issues. The Council was party to some of these Agreements. The Combined Authority Statement, had, it was explained, been prepared in light of this existing work, in order to avoid duplication or conflict, and enable a more streamlined approach for the planning authorities to operate in the future.

 Members welcomed the proposed approach. In particular, they felt that the areas of strategic focus within the Statement of Common Ground would link with the Council’s own Council Plan objectives. There was a consensus that the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority Statement of Common Ground should be supported.

RESOLVED –

(1)      That Cabinet endorsed the contents of the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority Statement of Common Ground.

(2)      Cabinet authorised the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place to sign the document on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council.

REASONS FOR DECISION – The Council will be able to demonstrate that it has addressed the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 with regards to the duty to co-operate.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED – Not signing the statement of common ground would risk being found to have not addressed the requirements of the Localism Act when submitting a future Local Plan for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. This would result in significant delays in the delivery of an updated Local Plan for the District, with the knock-on effect being weaker defence against speculative development.