Agenda, decisions and minutes

Licensing and Planning Policy Committee - Thursday, 5th March, 2020 7.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber - Epsom Town Hall, https://www.youtube.com/@epsomandewellBC/playlists. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services, tel: 01372 732121  email:  democraticservices@epsom-ewell.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

34.

Question Time

To take any questions from members of the the Public

 

Please note:  Members of the Public are requested to inform the Democratic Servicers Officer before the meeting begins if they wish to ask a verbal question to the Committee.

Decision:

No questions were submitted or were asked at the meeting by members of the public.

Minutes:

No questions were submitted or were asked at the meeting by members of the public.

35.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any item of business to be considered at the meeting.

Decision:

No declarations of interest were made by Councillors regarding items on the agenda.

Minutes:

The following declarations of interest were made in relation to the business to be considered at the meeting:

 

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Chris Frost BSc, Other Interest: In the interests of openness and transparency, Councillor Chris Frost declared that he is a member of the Epsom Civic Society.

 

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Liz Frost MSc FCOptom, Other Interest: In the interests of openness and transparency, Councillor Liz Frost declared that she is a member of the Epsom Civic Society.

 

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Neil Dallen, Other Interest: In the interests of openness and transparency, Councillor Neil Dallen declared that he is a member of the Epsom Civic Society.

 

36.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 123 KB

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 23 January 2020 (attached) and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.


Decision:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee held on 23 January 2020 were agreed and signed by the Chair as a true record.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee held on 23 January 2020 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

37.

Duty to Co-operate - Response to Elmbridge BC and Mole Valley DC Local Plan Consultations pdf icon PDF 109 KB

Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC) and Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) are currently holding public consultations on their emerging Local Plans. The consultations provide an opportunity for all to make comments on their emerging Local Plans. It is important that Epsom & Ewell Borough Council make comments and raise any particular strategic cross boundary issues with the relevant authorities.

 

A response has been drafted to the respective authority’s consultation document. This report summarises the contents of the consultation and sets out draft responses.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration, it was resolved:

(1)      That the Committee considered the proposed draft responses and subject to minor typographical and stylistic changes agreed their submission to the respective authority’s consultation.

 

Minutes:

Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC) and Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) were holding public consultations on their emerging Local Plans. The consultations provided an opportunity to make comments on their emerging Local Plans. The Committee received a report summarising the contents of the consultation and setting out draft responses.

The following points were raised by the Committee:

a)            Consistency with previous responses: Members spoke about the importance of the Council’s response not conflicting with any previous response, and it was concluded that all responses were consistent with one another. Members discussed whether the tone of the Council’s response needed to be softened. Members discussed the importance of raising the issue of low density and the need for it to be increased and it was proposed to submit a figure for them to work to. It was concluded that, with the exception of a grammatical error that will be rectified, the nature of the response would remain the same in a bid for clarity.

b)           Status of consultation: Members noted that it was not the final opportunity to comment on the draft Plan; and that if it progressed to Regulation 19 the Council would have the opportunity to reinforce its consultation responses.

c)            Over-delivery of housing: Members discussed the risk of the Borough being forced into a situation of having to deliver unmet housing need displaced from neighbouring authorities in addition to the Borough’s own needs. Such a scenario could be avoided by maintaining a continuous dialogue with neighbours to ensure that they pursue strategies that meet their needs and do not prejudice our emerging strategy

d)           Evolving process: Members noted that the Duty to Co-operate is an evolving process. The Committee noted that the recent examination of Wealdon District Councils Local Plan highlighted the importance of the Duty to Co-operate as it was a key reason why their Plan was found unsound.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

 

(1)      That the Committee considered the proposed draft responses and subject to minor typographical and stylistic changes agreed their submission to the respective authority’s consultation.

 

38.

Epsom & Ewell Local Plan - Overview of Proposed Housing Strategy pdf icon PDF 114 KB

This Report seeks to provide the Committee with an advance overview of the proposed Housing Strategy, which will form a key part of the forthcoming public consultation on the emerging new Local Plan.

Decision:

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee:

(1)      Noted the overview content of the proposed Housing Strategy; and

(2)      Endorsed the Strategy approach that will be used in the preparation of the Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report detailing the proposed Housing Strategy which would form a key part of the forthcoming public consultation on the emerging new Local Plan.

The following matters were considered by the Committee:

a)            Sound Housing Strategy: Members discussed the importance of having a Local Plan Housing Strategy that is demonstrably sound in order to ensure that the Borough Council remains in control of future growth. The soundness criteria were: Sustainable, optimising, Objectively Assessed Housing Need and 5-year Housing Land Supply.

b)            Necessary infrastructure: Members noted the factors which have made it necessary to consider larger site allocation options. It was noted that larger sites have greater capacity to provide and secure investment in infrastructure.  In contrast, smaller sites have limited capacity to deliver necessary investment. Larger sites were also more likely to deliver necessary infrastructure such as transport corridors and education provisions.

c)            National Planning Policy Context: National planning policy requires local planning authorities to undertake a review of their local plans every five years.  This approach ensures that housing delivery performance is monitored effectively and if necessary, policy interventions introduced to improve delivery.

d)            Potential sites: Members noted that the majority of the proposed site allocation options for the Borough are sustainable locations. However, due to the nature of the allocation options, many were unlikely to supply the immediate supply of homes needed to demonstrate a deliverable Five Year Housing Land Supply. 

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee:

(1)      Noted the overview content of the proposed Housing Strategy; and

(2)      Endorsed the Strategy approach that will be used in the preparation of the Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.

 

39.

Epsom & Ewell Local Plan - Overview of Proposed Infrastructure Strategies pdf icon PDF 114 KB

This Report seeks to provide the Committee with an advance overview of the proposed Strategies relating to new infrastructure, which will form a key part of the forthcoming public consultation on the emerging new Local Plan.

Decision:

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee:

(1)      Noted the content of the proposed Strategies relating to new infrastructure; and

(2)      Endorsed them in respect of the preparation of the Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report detailing the proposed Strategies relating to new infrastructure, which would form a key part of the forthcoming public consultation on the emerging new Local Plan.

The following matters were considered by the Committee:

a)            Infrastructure Delivery Plan: Members discussed how the Infrastructure Delivery Plan identified details of schemes and their delivery in the Borough (including water supply, details of flood risk, sewage connection, education, health, green infrastructure, and utilities).

b)            Transport networks: Members spoke about the work that was underway with regards to sustainable transport improvements and this will support future growth support.  It was noted that work was also being conducted with the rail operators and there was evidence of positive improvement regarding access at a number of stations.

c)            Use of motor vehicles: Members spoke about the need for road networks to remain efficient. Cars remain a popular choice of transport and therefore need to be accommodated.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee:

(1)      Noted the content of the proposed Strategies relating to new infrastructure; and

(2)      Endorsed them in respect of the preparation of the Local Plan Regulation 18 public consultation.