The Portfolio Holder for Development & Conservation presented the report which set out the draft of the Local Plan to be issued for consultation. The Plan covered the period up to 2040 and emphasised making best use of land in existing settlements. The report had been considered by the Development & Conservation Advisory who recommended the report to Cabinet.

The Planning Policy Team Leader further advised that the Plan focused on the key themes of promoting health and well-being, delivering Net Zero and supporting high quality design. She advised that the draft Plan listed three tiers of development density, but that these would be further refined in each case to ensure development respects local character and the environment.

She outlined the Community Involvement measures of the Consultation. In addition to the Council’s website, mailing list, and social media accounts, the Plan would be publicised on a new consultation portal. Three drop-in sessions would be held in person in the urban centres of the District, with an additional session over Zoom. Commuters and secondary schools would be specifically targeted also to ensure the Council received feedback from those demographics, as they had previously been under-represented in responses.

The Strategic Planning Manager updated the Committee on the evidence base for the Local Plan. The Character Study had been completed and was due to be published shortly. The Strategic Transport Study baseline stage was complete and junction modelling was currently underway where the gap analysis had identified data gaps. The second stage of assessing the impact of the planned growth across the District, would take place in 2023.

Officers further updated the Committee on the discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC). The Draft did not contain finalised policies, but instead aimed to establish whether the scope and coverage of the plan was sufficient. This allowed the Council to respond to changes in national planning policy as they occurred. In response to questions, they outlined the measures to make the Plan accessible and prevent technical knowledge from being a barrier to participation in the Consultation.

They further explained the role of the Character Study in evidencing local context and density. It would allow the Council to take an active role in assessing the capacity of sites for development, by identifying sensitivity to change within an area.

Members discussed the options for response to the question relating to a balanced strategy for growth (Policy ST1) and the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Officer - Planning & Regulatory Services made clear that textual amendments could be made to clarify the options available to respondents further.

Public Sector Equality Duty

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Resolved: That the

a)    content of the “plain text version” of the Regulation 18 Consultation Draft Local Plan at Appendix 1, be approved for public consultation purposes;

b)    presentation and formatting style of the consultation document, as reflected in the Indicative Formatted Version at Appendix 2, be agreed;

c)    the authority to approve the final formatting and presentation of the Regulation 18 Consultation Draft Local Plan and any minor preconsultation text changes, be delegated to the Chief Officer – Planning & Regulatory Services and the Development & Conservation Portfolio Holder; and

d)    the withdrawal of the December 2018 Regulation 19 Proposed Submission version of the Local Plan, which was submitted to the Secretary of State in April 2019, be recommended to Council before the Regulation 18 Consultation Draft is issued for consultation.