To consider a report seeking approval to carry out public consultation regarding the new Local Plan Issues Paper and associated background draft reports, and approval for an update to the Council’s Local Development Scheme.
Minutes:
The committee considered the report which sought agreement to carry out public consultation regarding the new Local Plan Issues Paper and associated background draft reports.
Cllr Clowes read out a statement on behalf of Cllr Chris O’Leary and referred to a petition from the Save Danes Moss Group which had been submitted to the Council. The statement also asked the committee to ensure peatland sites were not included in the Local Plan without assessment of the scale of the peat deposits, and that specific planning guidance be introduced to protect peatlands from development.
In response, the Head of Planning stated that officers had responded to the petition by advising that the correct procedure would be for the petition to be considered as a representation through the planning application process due to there being a number of live planning applications for the site. It would therefore form part of the overall assessment of the planning application which would be presented to a future planning committee. In developing the new Local Plan, the Council would consider appropriate protections for peatland, wetlands, meres and mosses in line with legislation and national planning policy, recognising the wider benefits they can have.
It was requested that, before carrying out the consultation, officers carefully review the questions in the issues paper and accompanying topic papers to ensure that the questions being raised were focused on things that could be achieved and were Planning focused, with a suggestion that the language be looked at to ensure it was specific. Officers therefore suggested that the recommendations as set out in the report also include a delegation to the Head of Planning to review the questions and make any minor changes required prior to publication.
A query was raised in relation to page 6 of appendix M and whether peat should be a safeguarded resource. It was agreed that officers would look into this further outside the meeting.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
That the Environment and Communities Committee:
1. Agree that the following documents, appended to this report, are published for 12 weeks public consultation, with delegation to the Head of Planning to review and make minor changes prior to publication:
a. Issues Paper (Appendix A), supported by Topic Papers (Appendices B to N)
b. Draft Land Availability Assessment Methodology (Appendix O), accompanied by a ‘call for sites’
c. Draft Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report (Appendix P)
d. Draft Settlement Hierarchy Review Methodology (Appendix Q)
2. Agree that the update to the Local Development Scheme, appended to this report (Appendix R) is published on the Council’s web site and that a copy is sent to the Secretary of State for Levelling-up, Housing and Communities
Cllr Crane left the meeting and did not return.
Supporting documents: