Agenda item

To consider the Local Development Scheme.

RESOLVED to adopt the Local Development Scheme.

The Leader invited Councillor Evans to present items 12 - 15 to Cabinet as they were all related to planning and the Local Plan. Councillor Eke would introduce item 16 as the relevant Portfolio Holder for Infrastructure. The Leader proposed taking all remaining recommendations as a single vote at the end of the presentations. Cabinet agreed.

Councillor Evans said it was important to acknowledge the input of the late Councillor Storah in these reports in his capacity as Chair of the Local Plan Leadership Group. He also thanked Councillor Gregory and the Scrutiny Committee for their remarks as a critical friend; the reports had benefitted from the scrutiny provided by the committee.

The Local Development Scheme

Councillor Evans presented the report on the Local Development scheme. He said this was a very important document as it underpinned the Council’s approach to the Local Plan process, including timetables and consultations. He said adjustments to the Scheme were likely, in part due to the current Government consultation on the Planning White Paper, and the document would be updated to reflect real practice.

In response to a question from Councillor Freeman regarding energy efficiency, Councillor Evans said the Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) in relation to energy efficiency would be looked at.

Councillor Freeman thanked Councillor Evans and said such SPDs were important as, in the absence of a Local Plan, they set out planning standards which developers were obliged to follow. He offered his assistance on the matter.

Councillor Pepper said there was an interim climate planning document that would also cover the energy sector.

In response to a question from Councillor Lees, Councillor Evans said there was no reason to assume that the Local Plan timetable would slip due to the Government’s consultation on the Planning White Paper. He said he would liaise with Councillor LeCount who was monitoring progress.

Community Engagement Strategy

Councillor Evans said this was an updated version of a previously considered document, and the Strategy had taken into account the comments of the Scrutiny Committee. It set-out the nine themes on which the community could comment. He said the messages in the Strategy would need to be frequently communicated to the public and parish and town councils.

Councillor Criscione said the one area in which the Strategy fell short was deliverability of the Local Plan. He referenced the Essex Developers Group as an organisation which could advise on the issue of deliverability.

In response to a question from Councillor Lees regarding parish involvement in the Community Forum, Councillor Evans said the Town and Parish Council Forum already existed and it would not be appropriate for local councils to be involved in the additional Community Forum as this would duplicate their participation.

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)

Councillor Evans said the SCI, which explained how the Council would involve the community in the Local Plan process, had been thoroughly considered by the LPLG and costs had now been budgeted for. He said the document would be shared widely with organisations in the district, and he would be looking to disseminate the information through as many channels as possible.

Councillor Day said it was clear from the peer review advice that the Council needed to engage with as many people as possible over the Local Plan, and that parish and town councils would play an important role in disseminating this information to the local community. Young people would be directly impacted by the Local Plan but had historically not engaged with such public conversations. He said he was working with officers to reach out to young people in order to encourage this engagement. He concluded by saying a tremendous amount of work had been going on and strong foundations had been laid to move forward with a sound Local Plan.

Project Initiation Document (PID)

Councillor Evans said the PID set-out how the Local Plan would be managed by the Council. He said twelve people had been assigned specific roles and a large body of talent had been assembled. He concluded by saying costs were substantial and it was vital that the Council ensured that this represented best value.

Strategic Infrastructure Group (SIG)

Councillor Eke, as the relevant Portfolio Holder, introduced the report regarding the establishment of the Strategic Infrastructure Group (SIG). He said infrastructure had played its part in the failure of the previous Local Plan, and highlighted the lack of transport links as an example. The Council could not afford to let this happen again. The SIG would play a crucial role in linking with neighbouring authorities and strategic partners in order to identify key infrastructure projects and to deliver on time. He asked Cabinet to approve the recommendation.

In response to a question from Councillor Reeve, Councillor Eke said reference to the Council’s own targets in relation to sustainable growth would be looked at.

In response to a question from Councillor Reeve regarding the feasibility of developing significant infrastructure, Councillor Eke said the thinking around infrastructure projects was in an advanced stage but funding such projects was a problem. Future proofing infrastructure was also something that needed to be taken into consideration.

Councillor Criscione said it was around the issue of infrastructure that the majority of Local Plans failed. He said the Council should keep the emphasis on  developers to provide infrastructure, and contributions to infrastructure projects should be demanded if developers wished to build in the district.

Councillor Eke agreed and said that developers must also be held to account in terms of the infrastructure that they had promised to deliver but had failed to do so.

Councillor Freeman said developers could not “buy planning permissions” by contributing to infrastructure projects. He said Uttlesford required a “masterplan” for developers to make such demands.

The Leader read an email from Councillor Dean containing three questions relating to the Local Plan items:

Why is next Monday's Local Plan Leadership Group agenda silent on items that would directly help to deliver a new Local Plan?

Is it correct that items to progress the Plan have been pulled from next week's LPLG agenda owing to Members' reluctance to go public with consultations that would include a Call for Development Sites?

What action does the Cabinet intend to take to ensure the creation of a new Local Plan moving forward with discernible progress in the immediate future?

Councillor Gregory said the same questions had been raised by Councillor Criscione the previous night and he was awaiting a response from Councillor Evans and the Assistant Director - Planning. He asked that Councillor Dean wait for that response.

Councillor Lees said the reason why an agenda item had been removed from the next LPLG agenda was because a workshop had been held and questions had been raised which required addressing. This would not cause a delay in the Local Plan process and it was better that informed, rather than rushed, decisions were made. 

Councillor Criscione said the questions were valid but it was unreasonable to expect a response when the questions were posed 90 minutes before the meeting began.

The Leader called on Cabinet to vote on the recommendations set-out in the reports for items 12 to 16.

            RESOLVED to adopt the Local Development Scheme.

RESOLVED to approve the draft document in order for it to be published alongside the Statement of Community Involvement to enable people to provide comment.

RESOLVED to approve the Statement of Community Involvement for consultation.

RESOLVED to adopt the Project Initiation Document (PID) for the Local Plan.

RESOLVED:

1. To endorse the proposed Terms of Reference attached as Appendix 1 to this report and the Leader be requested to issue the appropriate invitations for members to join the Strategic Infrastructure Delivery Group in accordance with this report.

2. That officers be instructed to make arrangements to support the establishment of the Strategic Infrastructure Delivery Group, and supporting Officer Group, with inaugural meetings to take place as soon as the memberships of the Groups have been finalised.

The meeting ended at 8.45pm.