Agenda item

To receive a report on the St Neots Neighbourhood Plan.

With aid of a report by the Planning Policy Team Leader (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the report on the St Neots Neighbourhood Plan was presented to the Panel. Members were informed that after the Examination in February 2015 the Neighbourhood Plan could proceed to a Referendum subject to the modifications being made as recommended by the Examiner. A clean copy of the Plan, including the modifications could not be produced until the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) and Cabinet had approved the Plan for Referendum, at their meetings in November 2015.

Following a discussion regarding community involvement, Members highlighted their concerns that the Neighbourhood Plan may be rejected if there was to be a low turnout at a Referendum. In response, the Panel was assured that so long as a majority of those residents that voted were in favour, the Neighbourhood Plan would be adopted regardless of turnout.

In response to a concern that St Neots was losing out on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money the Panel was reassured that to date St Neots had not missed out on any CIL money, which is due after the final planning conditions had been discharged. In addition, the Panel was reminded that Neighbourhood Plans had been intended primarily as a way for communities to develop a shared vision for how they want their area to developed and that getting more CIL money should be seen as a secondary bonus.

Members questioned the timings of the progression of the Neighbourhood Plan to Referendum, as it was submitted in April 2014 and was only being submitted to the Cabinet in November 2015. The Panel were advised that in hindsight the process could have been quicker. The process had been a learning experience for the Council, since the St Neots Neighbourhood Plan was the first in Huntingdonshire to be progressed this far in the process. The Panel was also informed that the Council was not in control of all the timescales: for example, the Neighbourhood Plan had to undergo a statutory six week consultation after submission before the Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to an Independent Examiner.

The Panel asked for further clarity on the timescales involved between submission, examination and Referendum of Neighbourhood Plans. In response it was clarified that the process as referred to in Item Number 38 would give a good indication of timelines, and that the Huntingdonshire Community Planning Support report, to be considered by the Panel in December 2015, would clearly set out the process.

Following concerns the Panel was reminded that the Neighbourhood Plans process should not be concerned with completion before the Local Plan was adopted. Neighbourhood Plans should be consistent with, and complement, both the adopted and emerging Local Plans, giving the Town or Parish some control of local planning issues such as the amount and location of development.

The Panel had recommended to the Cabinet that the timescales for the process of creating a Neighbourhood Plan should be made clearer. In addition once Cabinet had considered the Neighbourhood Plan and agreed to proceed to a Referendum it should be made clear that it was the responsibility of the Town Council to produce a ‘clean copy’ of the document.

(At 9.04pm, during the discussion of this item, Councillor B E Boddington left the meeting and did not return.)