Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Planning Service Manager seeking endorsement of the proposed approach to the development of the Local Plan to 2036 and its approval for consultation.

(A copy of the Consultation Draft 2017 – Appendix 1, has been circulated separately to the Agenda and is available on the Council’s website.)

To endorse the proposed approach and approve for consultation the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036: Consultation Draft 2017 and accompanying Sustainability Appraisal, and a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) June 2017, and issue a call for sites.

By means of a report and PowerPoint presentation by the Planning Services Manager appended to which was a copy of the Draft Local Plan (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book), the Cabinet was updated on the progress of Local Plan preparation and provided with a further update in relation to the necessary highways and transport infrastructure projects. It was confirmed that the Government deadline to have submitted a new Local Plan by the end of March 2018 was on course. It was also noted that an additional round of consultation was scheduled to allow supporting evidence and comments from interested parties to be up-to-date upon submission. It was therefore

RESOLVED

that the proposed approach for submission be endorsed and to approve for consultation the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036: Consultation Draft 2017 and accompanying Sustainability Appraisal, Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) June 2017, and to issue a call for sites.

The Huntingdonshire Local Plan To 2036 is to be presented to the Panel.

Report to follow on Tuesday 13th June.

With the aid of a report by the Planning Service Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book), the Huntingdonshire Local Plan To 2036, the Local Plan Quarterly Update and the Infrastructure Planning Update were presented to the Panel.

The Chairman reminded Members that they are reviewing the proposed approach and not the content. The Local Plan will be out for consultation and the Members will have the opportunity to comment upon the content then.

Members were informed that this is the second public consultation on the Local Plan and that alongside the public consultation there will be a call for sites and consultation on the Sustainability Appraisal and Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).

The Panel were informed that the timeline is as follows: the public consultation will run for eight weeks from July until August 2017, the statutory consultation on the proposed submission will be December 2017 with the final submission to the Secretary of State in March 2018.

It was noted that the Local Plan has 70% of proposed housing growth centred in four Spatial Planning Areas and 30% of housing growth in seven Key Service Centres and Small Settlements to support sustainable rural growth. Members were informed that the Local Plan includes some sites that the Council have already given permission on.

In response to the question why is there a second consultation, the Panel was informed that the second consultation is a full non-statutory consultation where respondents can comment on any of the sites or propose sites. The Consultation is over eight weeks as oppose to the standard six as the consultation extends over the summer. An additional question was asked in regards to the receipt of new sites to which Members were informed that when new sites are received they are subject to the same process as previous sites. There is a potential for delaying the submission of the Local Plan if a large number of sites are put forward.

Following the concern expressed that without Wyton there would not be enough sites coming forward, it was explained that there will be enough housing supplied with the existing sites that have been identified.

The Panel recommends that the Cabinet endorses the proposed approach and approves for consultation the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036, Consultation Draft 2017 and accompanying Sustainability Appraisal and a Housing and Economy Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) June 2017 and issues a call for sites.

Members would also like the Cabinet to encourage Members to champion the Local Plan and ask Members to encourage Parish and Town Councils to get involved in the consultation.