Agenda item

Following the announcement at full Council the notes of the meeting are being shared with Scrutiny Committees for their information.

The Assistant Director of Planning presented the draft notes of the Local Plan Review Working Group meeting on 1 November 2023. It was announced at Council that the notes of the meetings would be shared with Scrutiny Committees for their information.

The Working Group had been informed that although the Council’s Local Plan was adopted two years ago, it had been prepared in line with the provisions of the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Since that time, the NPFF has had numerous changes including the introduction of the national design guide, the standard method for calculating local housing need and an increased emphasis on climate change. In response, officers had undertaken a desk top review of the Local Plan, which utilised the PAS assessment tool to identify if an early update of the Local Plan was likely to be necessary. The review suggested that the local plan was working well overall with the exception of a couple of areas of concern.

The Chair referred to the paragraph at the end of the notes which stated “officers considered it prudent to issue a statement informing members of the public about the evidence gathering process that would be commencing in 2024” and asked what ‘evidence gathering’ meant. Members were informed that the first stage of this process was to collect evidence on the current position in relation to those areas where an update was required, like the availability of land for housing and employment and data on flood risks. Decisions would then be taken (and Members and Parish Councils informed) regarding how to address any deficiencies outlined by the evidence gathered.

The Chair requested an update on some of the issues discussed at the latest meeting of the Working Group on 22 February 2024. The Assistant Director of Planning explained that detailed notes of the meeting would be circulated in the near future, but the Working Group were informed of legislation and guidance in relation to the plan-making reforms, an overview of evidence base requirements and indicative phasing timetable, and proposals for issuing a position statement to clarify the Council’s intentions for reviewing the Local Plan

Members enquired as to how existing Neighbourhood Plans would be affected by any changes to the Council’s Local Plan. The Assistant Director of Planning explained that Neighbourhood Plans have to conform with the strategic policies of the District Local Plan, and that the National Planning Policy Framework included provisions which protect the weight to be given to Neighbourhood Plans that are less than 5 years old where they allocate housing sites to meet the area’s needs.

The Committee enquired what the Local Plan included in terms of employment supply and upcoming jobs. Members were informed that the Plan included employment related policies and strategies.

Members asked what Planning Performance Agreements involved. The Assistant Director of Planning explained that a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) was a project management tool which local planning authorities and applicants could use to agree timescales, actions and resources for handling particular applications, and there was detailed guidance on the Council website about them.

RESOLVED – That the update was noted.