Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were made.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the Local Plan Development Panel held on 23 September, 2022, be received and approved as a correct record.

Panel Members were presented with the findings of the Draft Local Plan 2021 Consultation Report and advised upon the following:

·         To whom and how the Council carried out the consultation

·         A summary of the representations received to the consultation

·         A summary of the main issues raised, and the Council’s responses based on the chapters within the Draft Local Plan.

AGREED

that the findings of the Draft Local Plan 2021 Consultation Report, as presented, be received and noted.

Further to Cabinet’s recent decision to take forward Option C as the preferred approach for progressing the emerging Local Plan, Member were asked to consider and advise upon the most appropriate next steps.

The ‘Option C’ approach reflected recent national pronouncements on the Green Belt and housing numbers and continued to emphasise the locational advantages of Ashfield for employment and skills growth.

Any recommendations from the Local Plan Development Panel and Cabinet would need to be considered through an assessment in the Sustainability Appraisal and there would need to be on-going discussions with neighbouring councils and infrastructure providers, reflecting the legal duty for councils to engage on strategic cross boundary matters as evidenced within the Statement of Common Ground.

In response to the Draft Local Plan 2021consultation results, officers would be making the spatial strategy clearer although it was acknowledged that the overall approach shown within the emerging Local Plan was positively received.

Members were asked to note the following:

H1Ki Annesley Miners Welfare - for clarification the Local Plan had not proposed that the sports pitch was developed as it formed part of the existing planning permission (V/2018/0393) which was being implemented.

H1Hd Stubbing Wood Farm - original information provided to the Council on the SHELAA was incorrect as it had identified that the land was in a single ownership.  The dwelling on site was in separate ownership including various rights of access and should the site be taken forward; this matter would be for the proposed developer of the site to resolve.

To complete the presentation, Panel Members were advised that using the standard housing methodology, the Council would have sufficient supply of housing to meet a 10-year demand without impacting significantly on the Green Belt, whilst Government made a decision on its national approach to housing.  However, there were risks associated with continuing with the draft Plan on this basis and these were duly communicated in detail to the Panel.

To recommend an appropriate way forward, Members were asked to consider two scenarios:

Scenario 1

To include all housing site allocations with the exception of Whyburn Farm resulting in the housing supply being reduced by 1,600 dwellings located in the Green Belt.

Scenario 2

To include all housing site allocations but excluding both new settlements resulting in the housing supply being reduced by 1,915 dwellings with all but 315 dwellings being in the Green Belt.

Two amendments were also recommended in relation to the following:

·        a new site Land North Larch Close Underwood (SHELAA Ref SJU043) (hatched blue on the plan) to be added into an existing adjacent allocated for housing

·        following representations regarding the Main Urban Area boundary at Ashland House, Skegby, it be recommended that no change be made at the present time.

The Chairman thanked officers for the presentation and a lengthy debate ensued. 

(The meeting adjourned at 12.10pm and reconvened at 12.20pm.)

As part of the deliberations, Members proposedthat a third scenario be on the table for Member consideration as follows:  ...  view the full minutes text for item LP.12

Panel Members were advised that Broxtowe Borough, Gedling Borough, Nottingham City and Rushcliffe Borough Councils were proposing to undertake a consultation later in the year on the Preferred Approach Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan 2022.

The new Strategic Plan would be replacing the 2014 Core Strategy document.

AGREED that

a)    Council be recommended to respond to the consultation;

b)    if the prescribed timetable allows, the Council’s draft response be submitted to a Local Plan Development Panel meeting for consideration prior to its submission or if more practicable, the draft response be circulated to Members outside of the meeting, requesting any input/responses by an agreed date.

The draft Planning Guidance Climate Change document was presented to the Panel, with a request to review the content and propose any changes or additions as required by Friday 18^th November 2022.

AGREED

that the draft Planning Guidance Climate Change document be referred to Cabinet for approval.

The draft Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Strategy 2022-2032 document was presented to the Panel, with a request to review the content and propose any changes or additions as required.

Members were advised that the update had not changed any of the route mapping or methodology from the previous 2013 document but had just refreshed references as required.  Members were also asked to consider whether to change the title of the document to ‘Green & Blue Infrastructure and Biodiversity Strategy’.

AGREED

that the draft Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Strategy 2022-2032 document, as presented, be referred to Cabinet for approval subject to its title being changed to ‘Green & Blue Infrastructure and Biodiversity Strategy 2022-2032’.