Issue - meetings

Garden Commuity Strategic Growth Development Plan Documents

Meeting: 20/11/2018 - Planning Policy Working Group (Item 3)

3 Garden Community Strategic Growth Development Plan Documents pdf icon PDF 69 KB

To consider the Garden Community Strategic Growth Development Plan Documents.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In response to a statement from M Herbert, the Planning Policy Team Leader said the housing trajectory was not a definitive plan of when building would happen, but an estimate of when it was most likely to happen. There was the potential for building to happen at a faster pace, and the Local Plan did not prevent this in the infrastructure and other requirements policy were met.

 

The Planning Policy Team Leader gave a summary of the report.

 

Councillor Barker noted that parking standards was a very important issue to areas such as Great Dunmow. Parking restrictions were an even more important requirement. The Planning Policy Team Leader said many of these criteria were already covered in the Essex Design Guide.

 

Members noted they had been impressed with the waste system in Eddington. There were no wheelie bins, and instead waste was stored underground. While this sort of system could not be retrofitted, it could be introduced in new garden communities.

 

Councillor Dean said it was essential that the majority of the Council’s dialogue with the community was face to face, and that all ideas that came about from this engagement were logged by officers.

 

Councillor Ranger said the Development Plan Documents (DPDs) should specify space standards for dwellings. Dwellings would need to be adaptable for those living in them.

 

Councillor Lees said the Essex Design Guide for parking standards had been followed in places such as Foresthall, Dunmow and Elsenham, and all still had problems with parking. It would be good if the Council could be more innovative here.

 

Councillor Lodge said landowners still stood to walk away with £2 billion from the Local Plan. The Council should look further into the idea of setting up development corporations.

 

The Chairman said development corporations were complicated. The delivery of the new communities was a matter for the Garden Communities Member Governance Board to consider. The Development Plan Documents were being started now as they were fundamental to the planning of these new communities.

 

M Herbert spoke on this item. A copy of his statement is appended to these minutes.