Agenda item

Horsham District Local Plan regulation 19

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning & Development

Decision:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

 

i)       To approve the Horsham District Local Plan Regulation 19 document as the Council’s policy for planning for the future of the District for the period 2021-2038.

 

ii)      To publish the Horsham District Local Plan Regulation 19 document together with the Sustainability Appraisal, Habitats Regulation Assessment and Policies Map and other supporting evidence base documents for a six-week period of representation from Friday 10 September 2021 to Friday 22 October 2021.  

 

iii)     To submit the Horsham District Local Plan to the First Secretary of State for examination following the six-week representation period, together with Regulation 19 representations submitted to the Council.

 

 

REASON

 

i)       The recommendations are required to ensure that the Council meets the statutory requirement to carry out a Local Plan review, and to meet the requirements in the Town and County Planning (Local Planning) England Regulations 2012.

 

ii)      It is both legally necessary and appropriate to invite public and stakeholder participation in the preparation of a new Local Plan for Horsham District. Part of the statutory process is to allow representations to be made on the Local Plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State.

 

iii)     To enable the Local Plan to progress to independent examination. 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Planning & Development stated that it was a legal requirement that all local authorities prepare a Local Plan that sets out a strategy to deliver economic, housing, social and environmental needs. The Local Plan also had to identify enough land to deliver housing targets set by the government, and to adhere to requirements included in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published by the government. 

 

Policies within the draft Plan were based on key evidence base as set out in the appendices to the report relating to: climate change; conserving the natural and built environment; duty to co-operate with neighbouring local authorities; economic development; housing and site assessments; infrastructure, transport and healthy communities; and flood risk and water cycle.  The Cabinet Member outlined details of the proposal, including up to 45% affordable housing targets, protection for the environment, including 10% biodiversity net gain and net zero carbon targets. 

 

The Cabinet Member acknowledged the unprecedented level of new housing required, with a target of 897 each year as well as additional housing to meet the unmet needs of other areas under the duty to co-operate requirements.

 

She emphasised the need to agree a Local Plan so that the Council could demonstrate a five-year housing land supply going forward, without which there would be a risk of speculative housing applications difficult to defend at appeal, resulting in sporadic development across the district without the level of infrastructure and facilities delivered with planned development. 

 

The Cabinet Member for the Local Economy spoke of the economic benefits of the Local Plan, which would address the shortage of business and employment space in the district.  The Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture spoke of the importance of work being done on the Nature Recovery Network; this was currently an aspirational piece of work and could only be completed once the Local Plan was in place.

 

The Leader of the Council confirmed that informal discussions with the Liberal Democrats and Local Members could be arranged in response to a request for clarity regarding the Rookwood site.

 

A number of Councillors raised concerns and asked for clarification on the draft Local plan, in particular regarding the strategic site allocation at Buck Barn.  It was noted that the evidence base for each strategic site had to be looked at as a whole and in relation to the whole district when determining the allocation of sites.  Issues of air quality and water quality had been addressed within the evidence as set out in the report, and would be further scrutinised by the Planning Inspector and through independent examination during the Regulation 19 consultation phase of the process.

 

The Director of Place confirmed that the level of housing required to meet Crawley’s unmet need under the duty to cooperate rules had been reached after careful calculation.  She agreed that further information regarding the 10% buffer applied to the five-year supply would be made available to Members.

 

The Director of Place advised that once agreed by Council, the submitted Local Plan could not be amended without Cabinet and Council’s approval.  However, a schedule of proposed modifications could be agreed by Council and submitted to the Inspector.  

 

The Cabinet agreed unanimously to the recommendation as set out in the report.

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

 

i)        To approve the Horsham District Local Plan Regulation 19 document as the Council’s policy for planning for the future of the district for the period 2021-2038.

 

ii)       To publish the Horsham District Local Plan Regulation 19 document together with the Sustainability Appraisal, Habitats Regulation Assessment and Policies Map and other supporting evidence base documents for a six-week period of representation from Friday 10 September 2021 to Friday 22 October 2021.  

 

iii)      To submit the Horsham District Local Plan to the First Secretary of State for examination following the six-week representation period, together with Regulation 19 representations submitted to the Council.

 

 

REASON

 

i)        The recommendations are required to ensure that the Council meets the statutory requirement to carry out a Local Plan review, and to meet the requirements in the Town and County Planning (Local Planning) England Regulations 2012.

 

ii)       It is both legally necessary and appropriate to invite public and stakeholder participation in the preparation of a new Local Plan for Horsham District. Part of the statutory process is to allow representations to be made on the Local Plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State.

 

iii)      To enable the Local Plan to progress to independent examination. 

Supporting documents: