Recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing and Planning Panel on 16 March 2017 on the adoption of the revised Scheme timetable for the preparation of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan.
(1) The Decision Taken
RESOLVED:
That the Cabinet agrees that the revised Local Development Scheme be adopted.
(2) Reasons for the Decision
The LDS was the Council’s official timetable for the preparation and adoption of the Local Plan and other planning documents for the Borough.
The revised timetable reflected that it had taken longer than originally anticipated to analyse some 3,000 representations received to the Proposed Submission Local Plan consultation exercise.
(Note: There were no declarations of interest by a Member(s) in respect of the matter decided).
Recommendations from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing and Planning Panel on 16 March 2017 on the submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for public examination.
Appendix A to the report of the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) to the Panel set out summaries of the main issues raised by consultees at the recent Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission consultation. Since that time a respondent had identified that one of their three representations was not summarised in Appendix A and did not appear on the online consultation portal. This was set out in an Addendum and was also considered by the Cabinet.
RESOLVED:
(1) That the Cabinet agrees and recommends to the Council that the Local Plan, Policies Map and associated submission documents identified in paragraph 4.59 of the report of the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) should be submitted with minor modifications as set out in the report, to the Secretary of State for public examination.
(2) That the Cabinet agrees that the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Member (Planning, Housing and Community), be given delegated powers to continue to agree Memorandums of Understanding and Statements of Common Ground with adjoining authorities and other duty to co-operate bodies as appropriate all the way up until submission in order to secure the best outcome for the public examination.
(3) That the Cabinet agrees and recommends to the Council that the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Member (Planning, Housing and Community), be given delegated authority to add to, amend and/or delete items from the Schedule of Minor Modifications that may arise as a result of on-going meetings with adjoining authorities and other duty to co-operate bodies and to update the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, all the way up until the point of submission.
(4) That the Cabinet agrees that the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Member (Planning, Housing and Community), be given delegated authority to prepare a Statement of Duty to Co-operate which explains the outcome of on-going duty to co-operate meetings with adjoining authorities and other duty to co-operate bodies, to be submitted to the Secretary of State alongside the Submission Local Plan.
(5) That the Cabinet agrees and recommends to the Council that the Head of Planning and Planning Policy and Implementation Manager, in consultation with the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Member (Planning, Housing and Community) and with regular reporting back to the Cabinet Housing and Planning Panel, be authorised to advocate the Submission Local Plan at the public examination and seek to secure the best outcome for the Borough if the Inspector wishes to discuss possible changes, additions or deletions to the Plan.
(6) That the Cabinet agrees and recommends to the Council that the inclusion of the omitted comment in Main Issues summary, as set out in the Addendum to Appendix A of the report of the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance), be noted and no change be made to the Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission or Policies Map as a result of the representation.