Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report updating Members on progress with the District Plan and activities undertaken in accordance with the agreed consultation strategy.  An updated breakdown of the consultation feedback was also tabled, together with an explanation of the next steps in addressing the issues raised.  The Panel also considered the evolving situation in relation to the Duty to Co-Operate and noted a letter from the Planning Minister clarifying interpretation of Green Belt policy.  Members were also advised on the next steps towards an amendments consultation for the District Plan.

Cllr C Woodward asked whether Officers were aware of the recent appeal decision in relation to the New Barnfield incinerator proposal, and what the implications of this were for the treatment of Green Belt through the District Plan.  Officers replied that the letter from the former Planning Minister made clear the distinction between planning applications such as New Barnfield and plan-making, where there were a number of examples of Local Planning Authorities reviewing their Green Belt in order to meet their housing needs.  If East Herts Council was to refuse to release Green Belt where this addressed the national requirement to promote sustainable patterns of development, this would invite nearby Green Belt constrained Authorities to press the Council to address their unmet needs in the Rural Area beyond the Green Belt.  From careful study of the reports and letters of the Planning Inspectorate it was clear that the expectation was that Green Belt constrained Authorities would nevertheless be expected to make every effort to meet their development needs.

Cllr G Cutting asked whether it would be possible to mitigate development pressures at ASR5 by instead developing the brownfield sites in the centre of Bishop’s Stortford. Officers explained that given the very high levels of housing need in the town the proposed urban extensions to the town would be needed in addition to the brownfield sites.

Cllr K Warnell expressed concern at the level of response to the District Plan consultation. Officers replied that the level of response was equal to or better than those for comparable recent consultations carried out by other Local Planning Authorities.  A comprehensive consultation strategy had been agreed by the Council and implemented with the support of Members, Town and Parish Councils, and Civic Societies.

Cllr C Woodward queried the procedure in relation to feedback submitted to the consultation.  Officers explained that a six-point procedure was set out on the front page of the Interim Version 2 of the Consultation Responses report presented at the meeting, and which would be posted to the website.  All feedback was being entered to the Consultation Portal.  Officers would then review the feedback to identify all the planning issues arising, before deciding whether any additional technical work would be required to address the issues raised.  Depending on the outcomes of this process, some amendments to the Preferred Options plan could be required, and these would be the subject of an amendments consultation later in 2014. 

Cllr G Cutting asked why only 12 members of the public had attended the Bishop’s Stortford drop-in session.  Officers replied that all 20 public meetings had been promoted in the same way, with the main variation being the degree of promotion by Town and Parish Councils.  Attendance had averaged around 50 members of the public, with significantly higher levels at a number of events.  It was therefore unclear why attendance at the Bishop’s Stortford drop-in session was below average.

In response to a question about the need for positive engagement with local communities from Cllr G Cutting, Officers explained that the Council had undertaken all reasonable measures to engage, including the public meetings co-ordinated with a number of Town and Parish Councils and Civic Societies.  The programme of engagement went significantly beyond the requirements of the Regulations and the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement.  Positive engagement needed to be understood not only in relation to the District Council’s agreed activities, but also in relation to input from individual Members and other organisations including Town and Parish Councils.

The Panel supported the recommendations as now detailed.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the record of consultation activity, together with the analysis of comments logged, as contained at Essential Reference Papers ‘B’ and ‘C’ respectively, be noted; and

(B)      explanation of the Duty to Co-Operate, together with the letter from the Planning Minister in relation to Green Belt policy contained at Essential Reference Paper ‘D’, be noted.