Issue - meetings

Public consultation on the Draft Local Plan (2022-2040) was undertaken between 1 February 2023 and 19 March 2023. Following the closure of the public consultation an extraordinary Council meeting was held on the 22 March 2023 where the decision was made to pause the Local Plan to allow specified tasks to be undertaken.

This report seeks the recommendation of the committee to Full Council that work on the local plan is un-paused, to enable all necessary work to be progressed, so that the Local Plan can be submitted for examination within the transitional arrangements set by the government.  

Following consideration, the Committee;

Resolved (6 for, 2 against) to:

(1)      To recommend to Full Council that work on the Local Plan is un-paused.

Unanimously resolved to:

(2)      Note the work that has been undertaken since and in line with the decision by full Council to pause the Local Plan.

(3)      Note that a decision to progress (un-pause) work on the Local Heritage List update will be considered at a future meeting of this Committee.

The Committee received a report seeking the recommendation of the Committee to Full Council that work on the local plan is un-paused, to enable all necessary work to be progressed, so that the Local Plan can be submitted for examination within the transitional arrangements set by the government.

Public consultation on the Draft Local Plan (2022-2040) was undertaken between 1 February 2023 and 19 March 2023. Following the closure of the public consultation an extraordinary Council meeting was held on the 22 March 2023 where the decision was made to pause the Local Plan to allow specified tasks to be undertaken.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Unpausing or stopping. A Member of the Committee asked if the choice being presented to the Committee tonight was between unpausing or stopping work on the Local Plan. The Member went on to ask Officers if  any further delay to the Local Plan work and submission would cause the Council to fall on the wrong side of the May 2025 deadline. The Planning Policy Manager informed the Committee that the assumption is that a Full Council will make a decision to unpause the Local Plan before the end of 2023 and on that basis, Officers are working on the Local Plan timetable to map out the work needed to be completed between now and submitting the Local Plan. The Planning Policy Manager informed the Committee that it has been estimated that on the current time scales, the Council could submit a Local Plan to the Government by May 2025.  The Planning Policy Manager explained to the Committee that the Government are currently stating that the transitional period will be from the 30 of June 2025, however, that is heavily dependent upon the government publishing a revised National Planning Policy Framework and the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill progressing as it should. The Planning Policy Manager informed the Committee that these dates have the potential to move but the Government have set out that it is their intention that 30 June 2025 is the deadline for submission under the current system. The Chair confirmed to the Committee that if progress is made now then the Council is likely to hit the May 2025 date, however, if there is additional delay then the Council runs the risk of missing it which means the Committee would have to be revisited down the line for further steer.

b)           Clarification on Recommendation One. A Committee asked if the Local Plan can only be unpaused officially by Full Council and asked for clarification that if members vote to unpause at the next Full Council meeting, that the Council and Officers cannot conduct any work on the local plan until then. The Chair confirmed that the Committee are being asked to unpause the work, primarily the spatial strategy and policy work, which have not progressed since March, and then it would be sent as a recommendation to the next Full Council meeting to officially unpause work on the Local Plan. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42