Agenda item

Mr Richard Haynes, Mr Andy Dodsley and Mr Peter Bright addressed the meeting. Copies of their statements have been appended to these minutes.

Following the statements, the Chair invited the meeting to make comment. Summaries of the discussion can be found below.

Mr Richard Haynes

In response to Mr Hayne’s statement, the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Stansted Airport, Infrastructure Strategy and the Local Plan reassured the Committee that Mr Haynes’ concerns had been addressed in private correspondences, and that he was happy to put them on public record. He said that matters regarding the emerging Local Plan had not been predetermined, and there had been no meetings between members of the administration and prospective land promoters and developers. Technical details, including the heritage study, would be considered by the Local Plan Leadership Group (LPLG), and officers were reviewing the inclusion of neighbourhood plan evidence.

The Chair asked why there had been a delay previously to consider a newly-identified site, if there had been no discussion with the land owners. The Portfolio Holder clarified that officers have had discussions with the relevant parties and would carry on to do so, as part of the process. Members would not get their say on sites until the site appraisal stage.

Councillor Criscione asked Mr Haynes what he wanted from the Scrutiny Committee and Mr Haynes responded that he wanted more openness. Whilst his comments had been answered thoroughly in private, he did not understand the secrecy in the process and the lack of engagement, such as the disappearance of the Community Forums.

In response to a question from Councillor Sell about the speaker’s experience with Uttlesford in relation to other Essex Councils, Mr Haynes said that in his experience, there with concerns with just about any Local Authority’s local plan development process. UDC had wanted to try a whole new way of developing Local Plans with the award-winning community forums and open discussions; however this has since disappeared.

Mr Andy Dodsley

The Chair requested that the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Stansted Airport, Infrastructure Strategy and the Local Plan provide a definitive answer to Mr Dodsley on the position of the 1939 Agreement within the Local Plan process. The Portfolio Holder said that he was aware of the deed and was willing to provide an answer but was not in a position to confirm a deadline as to when this would be given.

Members raised concerns for the lack of opinion in which the Council had on the covenant, given that the site had scored highly in previous Local Plans.

Cllr Peter Bright

The Portfolio Holder for Planning, Stansted Airport, Infrastructure Strategy and the Local Plan thanked Councillor Bright for his observations and said that the time estimates provided within the project management documentation were a realistic and accurate assessment.

The Director of Planning clarified that officers intended to have the emerging Local Plan submitted before June 2025, due to the government’s upcoming changes in how Local Plans were developed.

The Leader of the Council proposed that an FAQ section be created on the Local Plan webpage, which will publish responses to queries from the public.