Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Online Viewing Only

Link: recording of the meeting

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies made at the meeting.

2.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 113 KB

  • View the background to item 2.

To receive any declarations of interest. Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest advice attached to this Agenda. If a Member declares an interest, they should complete the Declaration of Interest Form

Minutes:

There were no declarations made at the meeting.

3.

Presentation to set context for the Local Plan review work pdf icon PDF 1006 KB

The presentation by Adrian Verrall, (Strategic Planning Manager) will cover the following:

 

Local Plan Examination;

The Inspectors' Report;

The review and Update process;

Evidence-gathering in the review process;

The Local Development Scheme.

Minutes:

Adrian Verrall, Strategic Planning Manager led the discussion and made a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the following points:

 

  • The Plan provided certainty about where future development would be;
  • This would help guide where investment could go;
  • Currently the Council was involved in two major infrastructure investment; through the HIF and MRN (Main Road Network) process;
  • KCC were leading on the current bid;
  • Constraints faced for this Plan included around coastline and national wildlife, flood risk, conservation areas and green wedges;
  • The strategy therefore was to prioritise brownfield sites;
  • The examination was concluded in July last year and the Inspectors concluded that the draft plan was compliant subject to modifications that the Inspectors proposed;
  • The draft Plan together with the Inspectors’ modifications were going through the council decision making process until they get to the approval stage;-
  • Key infrastructure needed to be set up in tandem with major housing development;
  • A review would need to be conducted in six months’ time from adoption of the Plan;
  • There was a duty to cooperate with neighbouring authorities when developing the Plan;
  • The Council would then have to inform MHCLG about the outcome of the decision on the new Local Plan.

 

Members asked questions and made comments as follows:

 

  • There was a need to consider contingency planning in relation to strategic planning for when there is future pandemic;
  • Before the new Local Plan was adopted, was there a grace period during which time planning application decisions were suspended?
  • How did neighbourhood plans fit into the district Plan?

 

In response Mr Verrall said the following:

 

  • There were some uncertainties characterizing the environment in which this plan was being developed. These included the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and DCO decision regarding Manston Airport;
  • The DCO decision was likely to be made on 10 July 2020;
  • Once the decision was made, that would have an impact on the content of the new Local Plan through the review;
  • MHCLG had produced some guidelines for future planning;
  • Planning applications would be processed as per usual timescales, without the need to suspend that process;
  • Neighbourhood plans would be supporting the main district Local Plan. Officers were currently working with parish/town councils to coordinate the process for developing these plans.

 

Members noted the presentation.

4.

The Work Programme for the Cabinet Advisory Group pdf icon PDF 42 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members noted the work programme.