Agenda item

To receive a report by the Head of Development regarding an update on progress on preparation of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036.

That the Cabinet:

  i.  notes progress on preparation of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 and its supporting evidence base; and

  ii.  agrees the establishment of a single Planning Policy earmarked reserve as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the submitted report.

The Cabinet considered a report by the Head of Development (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) to note the progress on preparation of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 (HLP2036) and its supporting evidence base in the light of recent government announcements relating to the timescale for the production of local plans.

The government has announced that it expects new local plans ‘to be written’ by early 2017 although there has been no clarification of what statutory stage of preparation this referred to. The next stage of the preparation process for the HLP2036 would be the proposed submission stage, which was the first statutory stage.  This involved a six week public consultation period, specifically inviting representations on issues of soundness and legal compliance.

When the Cabinet received an update in the previous quarter, the highest priority was the brief for a Strategic Transport Study.  The Cabinet was informed that this had now been prepared and was being processed by Cambridgeshire County Council’s procurement team, with the intention that the contract was awarded in May 2016.

Revalidation work of the Cambridge Sub-Regional Model was currently being undertaken on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council by Atkins.  This work was necessary to ensure that the model incorporated the most up-to-date data on traffic demand, was updated with all recently completed transport infrastructure schemes and the public transport, walking and cycling assignments were correct. Due to the complexity and volume of data in the model the Cabinet was informed that the revalidation work would not be complete until the end of May/early June.

At the Cabinet meeting on 19th November 2015 it was resolved that ‘as a priority, infrastructure requirements for Wyton Airfield are further scoped with a view they can be identified and fully costed’.  The Cabinet were referred to the four potential development scenarios that had subsequently been prepared to test. 

Following appointment of JBA Consulting, work on the first element of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) had commenced and was scheduled for receipt by the Council in late April 2016.  This was later than originally scheduled due to delays in provision of extensive datasets by the Environment Agency. Completion of the second element of the SFRA was now anticipated in July 2016, subject to availability of Environment Agency inputs.

The Cabinet agreed that a county-wide approach to the replacement Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment (GTANA) being coordinated by the Joint Strategic Planning Unit on behalf of Huntingdonshire District Council, in partnership with a number of other Councils, was the best approach.  The Cabinet also discussed the difficulties in allocating sites and was informed that a criteria based approach to guide site selection continued to be proposed.  The Cabinet noted the difficulties that could be presented for schools when gypsy and travellers sites were granted at appeal.  The Cabinet was informed that the GTANA would take account of the new, more restrictive definition of gypsy and traveller which had been published and was expected to result in less of a demand on accommodation needs. 

The budgets for consultants and related costs to support the HLP2036 and other Planning Policy initiatives had previously been agreed each financial year.  Dependencies on others such as the County Council for transport modelling, meant that timescales could be outside the District Council’s control and budgets not spent as planned.  Rather than continue on this basis, the Cabinet agreed that a single Planning Policy earmarked reserve was established with money used from the reserve to support the work programme. 

Having been invited to address the Cabinet, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Economy and Growth) stated that the Panel had been pleased that progress was being made with the HLP2036 and its supporting evidence base.  The Panel also supported the establishment of a single Planning Policy earmarked reserve.  Whereupon the Cabinet,

RESOLVED

  i.  to note progress on preparation of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 and its supporting evidence base; and

  ii.  agrees the establishment of a single Planning Policy earmarked reserve as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the submitted report.