Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held on 5 July 2018

The notes of the meeting held on 5 July 2018 were received.

Members will be aware that viability in planning applications was discussed at PDAG in March and Officers advised that following the publication of the then draft national viability guidance we would discuss this again at PDAG. Following the update to the Planning Practice Guidance regarding Viability in July we will be presenting this guidance to Members and discussing how Horsham District Council will be responding to this guidance.

The Head of Development presented Members with an overview of the new Planning Practice Guidance for Viability that was published to reflect the newly revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

There were four sections to the new guidance that the Head of Development summarised for Members:

·         Viability and plan making – There were no significant changes in this section to how HDC operates.

·         Viability and decision taking – There were no significant changes in this section to how HDC operates except for a greater onus on applicants to provide evidence with regards to differences in application since plan making.

·         Standardised inputs – Viability assessments should now follow the government’s recommended approach as detailed within the new guidance.

·         Accountability – Viability assessments should be made by qualified professionals on the basis that it will be made public unless affected by exceptional circumstances. To be exempt from publication the planning authority must be satisfied that the information to be excluded is commercially sensitive. The data and findings of a viability assessment will be provided in a standardised template.

It was noted that the publication of old viability appraisals would be managed on a case-by-case basis.

Members recognised the positive aspects in following the new guidance and were eager to see it in practise.

Members will be aware that pre-application discussions concerning new development are best practice and a service which we currently provide. The Council have already used Planning Performance Agreements on a number of occasions which is a project management approach to the provision of pre-application advice. Officers are currently developing a charging schedule associated with Planning Performance Agreements and a PPA Charter to advise applicants and agents of the level of service they should expect. Officers will be presenting the work carried out so far to members.

The Head of Development provided Members with an overview of the pre-application advice service provided by HDC. This service is not statutory but it is recommended to provide it by the NPPF.

Pre-application advice is informal advice provided by the planning authority and stakeholders that does not bind the authority in any future decision it makes.

It was noted that HDC offer the following pre-application advice services:

·         Free telephone duty service between 10am and 1pm Monday-Friday

·         Payable pre-application advice service

·         Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs)

·         Neighbourhood Planning

An update will be provided on the status of a number of Neighbourhood plans which are being prepared in Horsham District together with work that is being undertaken by officers to support Parishes preparing these plans.

Neighbourhood Planning

The Principal Planning Officer briefed Members on the status of Neighbourhood Plans being prepared in the District as well as work that planning officers had been doing to support Parishes preparing their plans.

A neighbourhood planning conference was to be held at the Billingshurst centre in September. Presentations would be given to update parishes on the revised NPPF and Local Plan Review. Workshops would also be held addressing: Working with developers and landowners; neighbourhood planning and the evidence base; and neighbourhood planning and the NPPF.

To note the Forward Plan extract for the Planning and Development Portfolio

The item on the Forward Plan for the Planning & Development portfolio was noted.