Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Planning Services Manager.

(Executive Councillor: Cllr R Fuller)

That the District Council be authorised to act upon the Examiner’s report and recommended modifications, and progress the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan to referendum.

Consideration was given to a report by the Senior Planning Policy Officer to which was appended the modified version of the Neighbourhood Plan, the examiner’s report and the draft decision statement setting out the modifications considered by the Examiner as necessary to enable the submission of the neighbourhood plan to meet the required basic conditions (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book). The Executive Councillor for Housing and Planning advised the Cabinet that this was a commendable example of collaborative working and thanked Godmanchester Town Council for the work which they had undertaken to supplement the Council’s Local Plan. Members were asked to agree to act upon the Examiner’s report regarding the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan leading to a referendum on whether or not it should be brought into force as part of the statutory development plan. Having noted the timetable for the proposal, it was

RESOLVED

that the District Council be authorised to act upon the Examiner’s report and recommended modifications and progress the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan to referendum.

The Panel are to receive a report on the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan Examination Outcome and Progression to Referendum.

With the aid of a report by the Senior Planning Policy Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the report on the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan Examination Outcome and Progression to Referendum was presented to the Panel.

The Executive Councillor for Housing and Planning introduced the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan which the Examiner had recommended should progress to referendum following appropriate modifications. The Council’s decision was described as a procedural matter which did not require a forensic examination of policy. If a majority of residents were to vote ‘yes’ at a referendum then the District Council would be asked to ‘make’ the Neighbourhood Plan and it would become part of the statutory development plan for Huntingdonshire.

Planning officers and Godmanchester Town Council were commended on the work undertaken, with the Neighbourhood Plan seen as an example of how well the District Council and Town/Parish Councils can work together. This view was mirrored by Godmanchester Town Councillors present.

The Panel’s attention was drawn to an email from Carter Jonas, property agents working on behalf of The Fairfield Partnership, which had been circulated to Members (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). In response to a main point raised, officers observed that the end date of 2036 had been selected specifically in order to converge with the end date of the draft Local Plan. This was described as a perfectly reasonable choice given that the Core Strategy with an end date of 2026 is due to be superseded by the Local Plan. There is a mechanism to address conflicts between plans, with the most recently adopted plan taking precedence, but emerging Local Plan policies are compatible with those in the Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan without requiring further changes at this stage. The next iteration of the Local Plan after adoption would be before 2036 and would allow an opportunity for Godmanchester to update their Neighbourhood Plan as well. Based on the recommendation from the Examiner, changing the end date is not among the limited options available to Cabinet without going back through the examination stage.

The Fairfield Partnership’s interest was described as seeking allocation of land further east of the Romans’ Edge site for housing and there will be opportunities for them to seek to achieve this through the Local Plan process. As a point of clarification, it was confirmed that the modified Neighbourhood Plan does include a definition of what constitutes a ‘moderate’ sized site (10-59 dwellings). The observations made in the email from Carter Jonas were noted by the Panel.

Members discussed the recommendation made by the Examiner. The Neighbourhood Plan appended to the report has been updated post examination, with Planning Officers and the Town Council agreeing to the modifications and supporting the recommendation to Cabinet. The Panel made a recommendation to Cabinet that they should act upon the Examiner’s report and recommended modifications, and progress the Neighbourhood Plan to referendum.