Issue - meetings

To consider the Local Plan Project Management Report – Quarter 1.

The Local Plans and New Communities Manager presented the report on risks and project management during Quarter 1 of the current financial year.

He said that the proposed change to the timetable would ensure a more robust analysis of sites and evidence base going into the Regulation 18 consultation.

He confirmed that a final draft of the transport evidence would not be finalised to inform the drafting of the plan, although it would be ready to publish for the consultation. This was being mitigated, by keeping in close contact with the transport consultants and the draft evidence would be sufficiently advanced to inform the plan.

He said that he met with Councillor LeCount to discuss the project plan, who had asked him to highlight to Members their discussion regarding continued improved Officer communication with Members and to note that he was content with progress being made.

Councillor Evans extended a warm welcome to the new Director of Planning and extended his thanks to the outgoing Interim Director of Planning for her assistance over the last eight months.

He said that the delay to the Local Plan process was disappointing, but not unusual. He noted that the Officer led initiative should dispel residents concerns that the delay was in any way politically driven. He encouraged colleagues to convey that message in their reports to Town and Parish Councils.

The Director of Planning agreed that the Plan`s robustness was important and that legal advice prioritised robustness over speed.

The Chair confirmed that the delay to the Plan was for positive reasons.

Councillor Sell echoed Councillor Evan`s welcome to the new Director of Planning. He acknowledged the consensus among Members to achieve as robust a Local Plan as possible. He asked whether a third option would be offered, if options would be presented in order of preference and when it would be clear what the options were.

He said that residents would not appreciate Uttlesford District Council’s review of sites that had been refused on appeal, particularly where they had received huge local opposition.

The Chair agreed that communication was an important corporate duty.

Councillor Evans said that the preferred options could be two or could be some different viable permutations and would be made available in the autumn. He said that they wanted to extend the means of the consultation and modernise the Regulation 18 and 19 consultation process, to adopt a more media friendly approach to encourage public engagement.

The Local Plans and New Communities Manager said that multiple options were likely to emerge in the Regulation 18 plan and that work carried out over the summer would identify which sites merited prioritising.

The Chief Executive joined the meeting.

The Local Plans and New Communities Manager said that it was worth remembering there was a difference between a planning decision and allocating sites in a new emerging policy plan.

Members discussed the importance of clear concise communications for residents and agreed that the Committee wanted to focus on providing accessible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19