Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
Democratic Services

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Agenda item

RECOMMENDATION:

 

That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities to submit a response to the consultation on the White Paper: Planning for the Future on behalf of the Council, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the same cross-party group that considered the changes to the current planning system consultation.

 

Cabinet Member for Planning

 

Minutes:

20.1           The Chair invited Councillor Burn, the Cabinet Member for Planning to introduce Item 20 on the Agenda.

 

20.2           Councillor Burn provided Members with an overview of the White Paper: Planning for the Future being consulted on by the Government.

 

20.3           Councillor Burn advised that the recommendation was included in the Tabled Papers and that an accompanying report had not been prepared for this item due to time constraints.  It was therefore recommended that authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities to prepare a response.

 

20.4           Councillor Burn PROPOSED the recommendation as detailed in the Tabled Papers under Item 20, which was SECONDED by Councillor Guthrie.

 

20.5           In response to Councillor Warboy’s question, Councillor Burn would be happy to receive any Member comments for discussion, as soon as possible.

 

20.6           Councillor Otton asked if the Council would be looking at responses from other organisations such as the LGA, to which Councillor Burn replied that the working group would be considering those and other groups and organisations responses.

 

20.7           Councillor Eburne asked that the Working Group met as soon as possible.

 

20.8           She continued with stating that there was a contradiction in the consultation between the support for the Neighbourhood Plan and the concerns that local government and Members were getting too involved in developments.  She was concerned about ‘zoning of protected areas’ which referred to green belts which did not exist in Mid Suffolk.

 

20.9           Councillor Burn advised that he respond to this outside the meeting.

 

20.10       Councillor Geake asked what problems the paper was trying to solve, as there was a surplus of houses, which were of the wrong type, location and purpose, but a shortage of housing. As there were no shortage of planning permissions, she though that the issues were that Councils should buy up ‘hoarded’ houses and turn them around for social housing, which would help first time buyers mentioned earlier to save up for a deposit for a house.

 

20.11       Members debated the issues including:

 

·        That Members were content with the Working Group, and that the response would have to be well planned and within the five-weeks’ timescale.

·        That the White Paper was created before the Pandemic and that it would be difficult to predict what the post pandemic world would be like and that there might be extensive empty commercial properties in town centres, which might be repopulated for private dwellings.

·        That the housing being proposed had a locally led planning system which should include and support infrastructure, schools, and promote greener and active travel and take into account the Government and the Councils commitment to the climate emergency.

 

20.12        Councillor Burn summed up the debate and thanked Members for the comments and suggestions put forward, which would be considered, when responding to the paper.

 

20.13        The recommendation was put to Members for voting and the vote was UNANIMIOUS.

 

It was RESOLVED: -

 

That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities to submit a response to the consultation on the White Paper: Planning for the Future on behalf of the Council, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the same cross-party group that considered the changes to the current planning system consultation.

 

Supporting documents: