Agenda item

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth presented the Call for Sites report. She said that the Council agreed to a review of the District Plan in late 2023 and a revised timetable was agreed in October 2024. In order to update the District Plan, the planning department needed to assemble a huge amount of evidence and paragraph 3.5 – 3.6 of the report detailed the Call for Sites exercise.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said the Call for Sites took place between July and September 2024 and landowners, developers, agents and site promoters were invited to submit areas of land for the council to determine if they would be suitable for development. She said that submitting a site did not confirm that it would be selected for allocation in the District Plan and the report only detailed the outcome of the call for sites and presented the sites submitted.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that 282 sites had been submitted and two further sites had been submitted since the report had been published which were included in the addendum. One site had been withdrawn which left 283 sites for submission.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the planning team will use the information submitted to move onto the next stage in the plan processes which was to form a Strategic Land Availability Assessment which would be reported back to Members.

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

Councillor Hopewell asked the Executive Member if she could expand on the consultation plans.

Councillor Glover-Ward referred to the visioning process that took place last year and said there would be engagement  starting in the Spring. She said that there would be two consultations on the District Plan; one in Autumn 2025 and one in summer 2026. A consultation in summer 2027 would look at the proposed sites.

Councillor McAndrew asked what the difference was between a gross site and a net site.

The Planning Policy, Design and Conservation Manager explained that gross referred to the total area of the site and net was the area that was capable of being developed.

Councillor McAndrew said that some of the gross and net figures were the same in the report.

The Planning Policy, Design and Conservation Manager said that the information in the report had come directly from site promoters and the team had not had the chance to verify the information.

Councillor McAndrew asked how many houses could be built on an acre of land.

The Planning Policy, Design and Conservation Manager said it would depend on density but the planning team worked with 30 per hectare.

Councillor McAndrew asked the Executive how they would reduce congestion and air pollution in Bishop’s Stortford in relation to these identified sites as development would compound the current problems.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the previous District Plan had 18 strategic sites from 288 that were submitted. She said that none of the sites in Bishop’s Stortford may be suitable as the assessment had not been carried out yet.

Councillor McAndrew said that congestion in Bishop’s Stortford needed to be alleviated and said that sites outside of Bishop’s Stortford should be looked at.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the council would not solely build in Bishop’s Stortford and she could not specify at the moment where the development might take place. She said that site assessments needed to be completed and discussions needed to take place with other authorities.

The Leader of the Council said that joint strategic planning was going on within North East Herts to look at wider infrastructure which was separate from the District Plan.

Councillor Hopewell asked if this was the only opportunity for sites to be submitted.

Councillor Glover-Ward said there would be a further opportunity to submit sites next year for the planning team to check they had received all options.

Councillor Daar asked how many sites were rejected last time.

The Planning Policy, Design and Conservation Manager said that 288 sites were submitted, and 18 sites were allocated in the District Plan. She said it came down to site suitability and strategy decisions.

Councillor Estop asked about the forms that were used for the responses. She said renewable energy was listed but asked what that included. She also asked if the planning team would continue to identify land itself.

The Planning Policy, Design and Conservation Manager said that site promoters were asked to tick a series of boxes and there was an opportunity to provide some free text if they wished and said the team had the raw data behind the forms to use. She confirmed that the planning team would continue to look at other opportunities across the district.

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 Call for Sites submissions be noted and agreed for evaluation through the Strategic Land Availability Assessment; and

(B) the results of the Strategic Land Availability Assessment be reported in due course.