Decision details

Westgate Town Council have prepared a draft neighbourhood plan. It was published and formally submitted to the Council and has subsequently been assessed by an independent Examiner.

The Examiner’s report has also been published. It supports the proposed Neighbourhood Plan, with some minor modifications, and recommends that it be subject to a referendum. The Council has to issue a Decision Statement as to whether or not it accepts the recommendations in the Examiners report, and, if not, what actions would be necessary.

The Council also has to consider whether the draft Plan meets the “basic conditions” for a Neighbourhood Plan. The draft Neighbourhood Plan, along with the modifications proposed by the Examiner, is supported.

Cabinet agreed:

1.  That the draft Neighbourhood Plan be modified as set out in this report

and

2.  That the Council issues a Decision Statement that it accepts the recommendations in the Examiners report, and the draft Neighbourhood Plan can proceed to referendum.

Cabinet considered that the draft Neighbourhood Plan, along with the Examiners modifications, meets the ‘Basic Conditions’ and should proceed to referendum.

That Cabinet decides to issue a Decision Statement that the Westgate-on-Sea Neighbourhood Plan does not meet the Basic Conditions, and proposes further modifications be made to the plan in order for it to do so. Those modifications would then require a public consultation.

The Council submitted formal responses to the two rounds of formal consultations that form part of the Neighbourhood Planning process. It is considered that either subsequent versions of the draft plan, or the modifications proposed by the Examiner, fully address any concerns raised in the formal responses. No further modifications to the plan are therefore considered necessary.