Issue - meetings

To seek approval to undertake an initial consultation on possible issues the BCP Local Plan will need to address, as well as carry out a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise to invite anyone with a potential development site to submit it to the Council for consideration as part of the Local Plan process.

RESOLVED that the BCP Local Plan issues and call for sites letter be released for a minimum of 6 weeks consultation in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Local Planning regulation.

Voting: Unanimous

REASONS

To start the process of preparing the BCP Local Plan and engaging with residents to understand the nature of issues that the plan ought to address. The call for sites exercise is standard practice at the start of preparing a Local Plan as it helps to identify what level of land availability might exist to meet the area’s needs.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'E' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet approval was sought to undertake an initial consultation on possible issues the BCP Local Plan will need to address, as well as carry out a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise to invite anyone with a potential development site to submit it to the Council for consideration as part of the Local Plan process.

A Councillor present at the meeting stressed the importance of reaching as wide an audience as possible through the consultation process.

In relation to this the Portfolio Holder assured Councillors that a variety of communication methods were going to be used in order to publicise the consultation.

RESOLVED that the BCP Local Plan issues and call for sites letter be released for a minimum of 6 weeks consultation in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Local Planning regulation.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Strategic Planning