Issue - meetings

Note – The Leader has agreed to accept this item onto the agenda as an urgent matter in order to enable statutory deadlines in the neighbourhood planning and referendum process to be met.

That (A) the Buntingford Community Area Neighbourhood Plan is modified in part according to the Examiner’s recommendations, as detailed at Essential Reference Papers ‘C’ and ‘D’ to the report submitted, but also with additional modifications recommended by Officers, as detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘D’ to the report submitted;

(B)     Officers be requested to make the necessary arrangements to hold a Neighbourhood Plan Referendum for the Parishes of Aspenden, Buckland & Chipping, Buntingford, Cottered, Hormead and Wyddial on 23 March 2017; and

(C)    authority to review and finalise the settlement boundary line be delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and a local Member.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report detailing the proposed modifications to the Neighbourhood Plan in part according to the Examiner’s recommendations, but also with additional modifications from Officers.  As well as this, she sought agreement for the Plan to proceed to Referendum.

Various Members congratulated the neighbourhood teams involved in developing this project to this stage.  It was also noted that Buntingford parish had been wrongly omitted from the recommendations. 

Councillor J Jones queried the settlement boundary line to the north of the Ward Freman site.  In response, the Head of Planning and Building Control acknowledged a slight anomaly and suggested that this could be amended later under delegated powers.  The Executive approved an additional recommendation to this effect.

The Executive approved the recommendations now detailed.

RESOLVED - that (A) the Buntingford Community Area Neighbourhood Plan is modified in part according to the Examiner’s recommendations, as detailed at Essential Reference Papers ‘C’ and ‘D’ to the report submitted, but also with additional modifications recommended by Officers, as detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘D’ to the report submitted;

(B)      Officers be requested to make the necessary arrangements to hold a Neighbourhood Plan Referendum for the Parishes of Aspenden, Buckland & Chipping, Buntingford, Cottered, Hormead and Wyddial on 23 March 2017; and

(C)      authority to review and finalise the settlement boundary line be delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and a local Member.