Cabinet Member for Planning
Minutes:
8.1 The Chair stated that the Joint Local Plan could not be changed apart from typographical and factual errors and Members should focus on the policies within the report and avoid in getting into specific issue relating to Members’ wards. Such issues should be raised as part of the consultation.
8.2 Councillor Arthey, Cabinet Member for Planning, introduced the report and informed Council that a great deal of work had been undertaken since the draft plan had been presented to Members two years ago, including the Draft Local Plan Working Group. He said that the Council must have an up to date Local Plan to be compliant with Government regulation. Members had been invited to several Local Plan Briefing Session leading up to the completion of the Draft Local Plan.
8.3 Members were asked to approve the Draft Local Plan for public consultation. The minimum consultation period being six weeks. Councillor Arthey MOVED the recommendations, however as the consultation period began in July, he further PROPOSED that the length of the period was extended to ten weeks to allow for the summer holiday.
8.4 Councillor Ward SECONDED the recommendations.
8.5 Councillor Carpendale SECONDED Councillor Arthey proposal of a ten weeks consultation period.
8.6 Councillor Hinton asked for clarification on which evidence had been used to determine the data in the report. He was also concerned if employment prospect and issues with infrastructure were sufficiently covered in the draft plan.
8.7 Councillor Maybury raised concerns based on the responses she had received from the Parish Councils in her Wards regarding infrastructure issues such as available places the local schools, health provisions and highways. She felt that the Draft Local Plan had been hurried through and not enough time had been allowed for Members to consider the plan.
8.8 Councillor McCraw called for a Point of Order and asked that the questions raised were answered.
8.9 Council Arthey drew Members attention to the section for infrastructure in the Joint Local Plan document and invited the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning to respond to Member’s questions.
8.10 The Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning listed the following documents, as part of the evidence base:
· An updated version of the strategic housing and employment land availability plan, published along with the consultation.
· The housing needs were based on a standard governmental methodology which used household projections and affordability in the calculation which was available in the planning guidance on the website
· There was a Strategic Housing Market Assessment of Employment Land Needs Assessment from 2016
· A Sector Needs Assessment from 2017.
· The infrastructure delivery plan had been developed in corporations with Suffolk County Council and would be published together with the Joint Local Plan.
· Water issues were detailed in the LPC 23 policy, page 116 and 117, which detail the optional standard of 110 litre of water per person per day.
8.11 Councillor Hinton questioned further the reduced water consumption and the capacity of the infrastructure for the strategic road network.
8.12 The Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning responded that the road infrastructure had been developed in consultation with Suffolk Highways and Suffolk County Council and that more discussion were undertaken as the development progresses.
8.13 The issues of water consumption were in line with requirements.
8.14 Councillor Lindsay agreed with Councillor Maybury and felt that the draft Joint Local Plan had been rushed and that not enough time have been allowed for Members to respond to the Plan. He PROPOSED an amendment to be added as recommendation 3.2.
Proposed amendment to be inserted after 3.1 to read as follows:
3.1 That the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Draft Joint Local Plan: Preferred Options Document (June 2019) (appendix A) be approved for consultation
3.2 That the Corporate Manager of Strategic Planning before the proposal maps were approved for consultation reviews and where appropriate redraws the proposal maps or add caveats in consultation with any ward member that raises concerns about their ward before Thursday the 11th of July 2019.
3.3 That the Corporate Manager – Strategic Planning, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Planning, be authorised to make consequential amendments to the consultation document arising from:
· removal of drafting and technical errors and typing mistakes, and
· improvements to the layout of the document
8.15 Councillor Jamieson SECONDED the amendment.
8.16 The Assistant Director for Planning and Communities stated that it would be difficult to redress the material at this stage. He was unsure of what adding caveats would involve and he was concerned that this would delay the document further.
8.17 Councillor Lindsay clarified that he was asking for more detail in areas he felt contained speculative information.
8.18 The Assistant Director for Planning for Growth stated that there had been provision for all allocated infrastructures in accordance with the appropriate policies and that any further addition to the document would not add any value to the consultation process.
8.19 Councillor Arthey reminded Members that this was a strategic document and could not include individual ward concerns.
8.20 Members debated the amendment and it was generally felt that any further delay would not be an advantage and that Members had had enough time to consider the document
8.21 Councillor McCraw expressed concerns that without a Join Local Plan the Council would be vulnerable to speculative developers.
8.22 Councillor Beer agreed with Cllr McCraw and SECONDED the proposal of extending the consultation week to ten weeks.
8.23 Councillor Lindsay stated that the start of the consultation would not be delayed but allow Members more time.
8.24 Members proceed to vote on the Amendment, which was LOST.
8.25 Councillor Maybury referred to page 74 in the Draft Joint Local Plan and was delighted that disability needs had been included in the plan.
8.26 The proposed recommendation 3.1 as amended and 3.2 were put to Members for voting and the vote was CARRIED.
It was RESOLVED: -
1. That the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Draft Joint Local Plan: Preferred Options Document (June 2019) (appendix A) be approved for a ten week consultation.
2. That the Corporate Manager – Strategic Planning, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Planning, be authorised to make consequential amendments to the consultation document arising from:
(i) removal of drafting and technical errors and typing mistakes, and;
(ii) improvements to the layout of the document
Supporting documents: