Issue - meetings

To consider a report setting proposed changes to the Interim Policy on the release of housing land.

The Board considered a report setting out proposed changes to the Interim Policy on the release of housing land.

On 24^th February 2011 the Council had approved an Interim Planning Policy for the release of Housing land. At the Council meeting on 13^th October 2011, an attempt was made to rescind the policy. The matter was remitted to the Strategic Planning Board for consideration. At the meeting of the Board on 21^st December it was agreed that the interim Policy be retained but that revisions to it be considered. The report now before the Board considered a number of amendments. The proposed amended Policy was set out as Appendix 2 to the report.

Since the report had been produced, a further minor change had been recommended to the Proposed Policy set out in Appendix 2. As well as excluding sites within the green belt, it was also suggested that sites within the Green Gap should also be excluded. This change would make Section 3 of the Policy consistent with Section 1; the revise wording would read as follows:

“3. Adjacent to the settlement boundary of Macclesfield and the nine Key Service Centres (Alsager, Congleton, Handforth, Knutsford, Middlewich, Nantwich, Poynton, Sandbach and Wilmslow), provided that the applicant can demonstrate that the site meets all of the following criteria:

• is not within the Green Belt or the Green Gap;”

A letter objecting to the Interim Policy had been received from Indigo Planning ltd. It was noted, however, that the Board was being asked to recommend the policy for consultation purposes only at this stage.

RESOLVED

That subject to the amendment to the proposed Interim Policy set out above, Cabinet be recommended

(1)   to approve the Draft Policy set out in Appendix 2 to the report for consultation purposes; and

(2)   to delegate the approval of the wording of the accompanying consultation document to the Cabinet Member for Performance and Capacity.