Issue - meetings

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

RESOLVED –

(1)          That Cabinet accepted the Independent Examiner’s report and recommended modifications to the Plan as set out in the Decision Statement at Appendix 1 in their entirety and the Plan, as amended, is taken forward to a referendum within the Parish as outlined in the report.

(2)          That Cabinet asks the Managing Director to exercise his existing delegation to make the Shirland and Higham Parish Neighbourhood Plan, if more than half of those voting in the referendum vote in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan.

REASONS FOR DECISION - The Shirland and Higham Neighbourhood Plan has been subject to examination by an Independent Examiner. The Examiner’s view is that subject to specified modifications, the Plan meets the Basic Conditions and other relevant legal requirements. Officers have considered each of the recommendations made in the Examiner’s report and agree with the Examiner’s findings in all cases.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED – An alternative option would be to reject the Examiners recommendations, but only if there is good reason to do so. The Examiner’s recommendations align with Officers’ views and as such there does not appear to be any justification for not making the Plan, subject to a positive outcome at Referendum.

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

Cabinet considered a report on the proposed Shirland and Higham Parish Neighbourhood Plan, which had been subject to review by the Independent Examiner.  The Independent Examiner, it was explained, had recommended specific modifications to the Neighbourhood Plan, including agreement with the majority of comments made by the District Council.

Members were recommended to agree to all of the changes put forward by the Independent Examiner. Consequently, these changes would now be put into a referendum version of the plan for the local community to vote on. If more than 50% vote in favour of it, then the Plan would have to be formally ‘made’ by the District Council. Cabinet was recommended to request that the Managing Director use his delegation to formally ‘make’ the Plan soon after a successful referendum.

RESOLVED –

(1)            That Cabinet accepted the Independent Examiner’s report and recommended modifications to the Plan as set out in the Decision Statement at Appendix 1 in their entirety and the Plan, as amended, is taken forward to a referendum within the Parish as outlined in the report.

(2)            That Cabinet asks the Managing Director to exercise his existing delegation to make the Shirland and Higham Parish Neighbourhood Plan, if more than half of those voting in the referendum vote in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan.

REASONS FOR DECISION - The Shirland and Higham Neighbourhood Plan has been subject to examination by an Independent Examiner. The Examiner’s view is that subject to specified modifications, the Plan meets the Basic Conditions and other relevant legal requirements. Officers have considered each of the recommendations made in the Examiner’s report and agree with the Examiner’s findings in all cases.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - An alternative option would be to reject the Examiner’s recommendations, but only if there is good reason to do so. The Examiner’s recommendations align with Officers’ views and as such there does not appear to be any justification for not making the Plan, subject to a positive outcome at Referendum.