Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the draft Local Plan Review Issues and Options – Employment, Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development be published for a seven week period of consultation from 6^th April to 25^th May 2018.

(ii)        That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development be authorised to agree the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and any necessary minor editorial changes to the Local Plan Review Issues and Options document.

REASONS

(i)         It is both necessary and appropriate to invite public and stakeholder participation in the preparation of a new planning document for the district.

(ii)        In order to ensure that the consultation documentation is accurately prepared. Any significant changes to the draft document would need to be reported back to Cabinet for approval before publication for consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Development submitted a report seeking approval for the publication of the first stage in the Local Plan Review Issues and Options Consultation Draft – Employment, Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development for a seven week period of consultation.  A Sustainability Appraisal would also be prepared alongside the Local Plan Review.

In November 2015, Council had adopted the Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF), which set out the Council’s planning strategy to 2031 for the delivery of sustainable development whilst balancing the social, economic and environmental needs of the plan area.

The adopted HDPF provided a sound basis for managing change and development in the District (excluding the South Downs National Park (SDNP)) in the short to medium term.   However, it was a requirement that Local Plans were monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that they were kept up-to-date.  In addition, the Inspector who had undertaken the independent examination of the HDPF concluded that more work would be needed by the Council to ensure that sufficient land was made available to meet the needs of businesses and to support economic growth and indicated that a review of the Plan should commence within three years.

This first part of the Local Plan Review therefore considered both the locational strategy for economic growth, setting out a number of sites that might have the potential for allocation as employment sites, and considered some of the existing policies set out in the Economic Development chapter of the HDPF.

Consideration was also given to how the Council could achieve sustainable development in the more rural parts of the District (excluding the SDNP) with particular reference to development outside existing defined built-up area boundaries, which had been identified as an issue that needed to be addressed through the neighbourhood planning process.

In addition to the topics covered in this first Issues and Options consultation document, a wide range of other issues would need to be considered when reviewing the plan and rolling it forward to 2036, including the development strategy for housing development.  The Government was currently revising its guidance on this issue and further evidence would need to be prepared.  It was therefore anticipated that the next stage in the Local Plan review, which would be subject to further consultation, would be published in 2019.

The Planning and Development Policy Development Advisory Group had considered and supported the proposed approach to publish the Local Plan Review Issues and Options - Employment, Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development document for consultation.

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the draft Local Plan Review Issues and Options – Employment, Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development be published for a seven week period of consultation from 6^th April to 25^th May 2018.

(ii)        That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development be authorised to agree the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and any necessary minor editorial changes to the Local Plan Review Issues and Options document.

REASONS

(i)         It is both necessary and appropriate to invite  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85