Cabinet Member for Planning
Additional documents:
Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 To respond to the consultation.
1.2 That the Assistant Director for Planning and Building Control, in collaboration with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Leader of the Council, consider any proposed amendments to the suggested response and be authorised to make amendments before submitting a response to the Government.
REASON FOR DECISION
To ensure the comments of the councils are set out for consideration by National Grid in the further stages of the project.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
1.1 To respond to the consultation with the response as set out in appendix a.
1.2 To respond to the consultation with proposed amendments to the responses set out in appendix a.
1.3 To not respond to the consultation.
Any Declarations of Interests Declared:None
Any Dispensation Granted:None
Minutes:
7.1 The Chair, Councillor Morley invited the Cabinet Member for Planning to introduce the report.
7.2 Councillor Burn provided an overview of the report and proposed the recommendations, as detailed in the report, which was seconded by Councillor Fleming.
7.3 Councillor Morley advised Cabinet that she had invited Ward Members to present their responses to the National Grid Consultation at the meeting. Written responses from Councillors Pratt, Eburne, Norris and Warboys were tabled.
7.4 The Chair invited Councillors Mellen, Warboys, Field, Welham and Stringer to present their responses to the National Grid Consultation.
7.5 All responses would be published on the website as supplement papers and forwarded to the Assistant Director – Planning and Building Control, be taken into consideration for the Council’s response to the Consultation.
7.6 In response to a question from other Members attending the meeting, the Assistant Director – Planning and Building Control confirmed that an expert could be used to evaluate the proposals.
7.7 The Chair proposed an amendment: ‘and the Leader of the Council’ be included in recommendation 2 of the report.
7.8 This was put to the proposer Councillor Burn and the seconder Councillor Fleming, who both agreed to the amendment.
7.9 Members debated the issues in the report including that information should also have been provided on the financial reasoning that led the National Grid decision for an onshore system, that devaluation of the landscape and property values had not been considered nor the impact on tourism, and that tower types and any options had not been disclosed during the consultation. Further, that visual impact should be included under the landscape title, and that a summary key point should be provided at the end of the representation.
7.10 During the debate Councillor Fleming thanked local residents for their interest and input at parish council meetings. She supported the objection and highlighted that a public consultation had not taken place on whether the development would be onshore or offshore.
7.11 Councillor Gould stated that the residents’ concerns were across the District and outside of the prosed corridor of the power line installations and that the Council had to show leadership and provide a strong response to the Consultation.
7.12 Councillor Burn stated that he was happy to see a consensus of opinion across the council.
By a unanimous vote.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 To respond to the consultation.
1.2 That the Assistant Director for Planning and Building Control, in collaboration with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Leader of the Council, consider any proposed amendments to the suggested response and be authorised to make amendments before submitting a response to the Government.
REASON FOR DECISION
To ensure the comments of the councils are set out for consideration by National Grid in the further stages of the project.