Agenda item

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth presented the Hertfordshire Development Quality Charter which had been launched by the Herts Growth Board in 2023. She said the Charter would raise standards on construction within Hertfordshire with seven pledges on design and sustainability. Seven local authorities and two developers had endorsed or formally agreed the Charter as a material planning consideration.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the Charter did not seek to replace the current regulations but encouraged developers to be more ambitious to demonstrate excellence in design and sustainability. She said that it was voluntary to sign up and it would encourage joint working and shared views across the district and county neighbours. She said it was important to ensure the council employed as many tools as possible to secure the highest development standard.

Councillor Glover-Ward proposed that the recommendations in the report be supported. Councillor Hoskin seconded the proposal.

Councillor Wilson said that the Charter would be a material planning consideration, but it was not mandatory to sign up. He asked how that worked.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that the Charter was not compulsory to sign up to and it was entirely voluntary. She said that the council would be looking to update the District Plan soon and alongside that, the council would be producing a district design code that would be mandatory for developers. She said that a timeframe was being discussed and Members would be made aware soon.

The Head of Planning said that by making it a material consideration, it would have to be given weight in the decision-making process. She said that applications had to be made in accordance with the District Plan unless considerations said otherwise. She said that the council were working with other Hertfordshire authorities who were at different stages of their Local Plans to implement the Charter as a benchmark across the county.

Councillor Crystall asked what level of weight the Charter would be given in the decision-making process.

The Head of Planning said that there was not a set weight given. She said that the District Plan had the most weight afforded to it because it had gone through a structured process and had been examined. She said that Supplementary Planning Documents hung off the District Plan policies.

Councillor Goldspink said that she welcomed this Charter and said it was a good step in the right direction. She said that more sustainable buildings should be encouraged and was pleased to see that measures to achieve this had been mentioned in the document.

Councillor Redfern read a statement out on behalf of the Labour group (this can be found at Appendix A).

Councillor Glover-Ward said that she would take the points raised into consideration but as this had been agreed by Hertfordshire local authorities, she did not think it could be added in at this late stage. She said that the points could be picked up at the District Plan review.

The Head of Planning said that the Charter was not designed to be detailed. Discussions with developers had determined the Charter was a good starting point for the whole of Hertfordshire.

The motion to support the recommendations having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED - to recommend to Council that (A) the Hertfordshire Development Quality Charter, as detailed at Appendix A, be agreed as a material consideration for Development Management purposes; and

B)     Developers, landowners and housing associations in the district be encouraged to voluntarily sign and commit to the design and sustainability pledges set out in the Quality Charter.