Agenda item

BCP Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation

The report seeks approval to undertake public consultation on the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options Draft.

An Initial Local Plan Issues and Call for site’s consultation was undertaken in late 2019, this draft now identifies particular planning issues that need considering and suggests options to address those issues.

The consultation will seek the public and other stakeholders views on regenerating our town centres, meeting our housing and employment needs, managing the natural and built environment, promoting health and well-being, tackling climate change, reducing the need to travel and infrastructure provision. However, at this stage in the plan making process no decision is being made on detailed policy wording or development site allocations.

Following receipt of stakeholder representations the plan will be refined to form the Regulation 19 ‘local plan submission draft’ that will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination during 2022.  

This consultation will take place under Regulation 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) and Town and Country Planning Regulations (Local Planning) 2012 (as amended).

The Local Plan once formally adopted will form the statutory development plan (along with neighbourhood plans) for BCP and will be used to determine planning applications.

Decision:

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation Draft be approved for a minimum of 8 weeks public consultation in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Local Planning Regulations; and

(b)           Cabinet delegate authority to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning to make changes necessary to the plan prior to release for public consultation. Prior to the release of the plan for public consultation the Head of Planning and Portfolio Holder will take into account any recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Local Plan Working Group once they have met to consider the findings of the Local Housing Needs Assessment.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning

Reason

An up to date local plan will be essential for BCP in planning for future growth in a sustainable manner. Having an up to date planning framework reflecting current national policy will be more robust in determining planning applications and more efficient in terms of implementation through decisions on planning applications.

Public consultation is a key part of local plan preparation, feedback from the public and stakeholders will be considered in preparing the more formal regulation 19 submission local plan.

 

Minutes:

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

Cabinet approval was sought to undertake public consultation on the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options Draft.

In relation to this Cabinet was advised that an Initial Local Plan Issues and Call for site’s consultation was undertaken in late 2019, and that this draft now identifies particular planning issues that need considering and suggests options to address those issues.

Further to this Cabinet was informed that the consultation will seek the public and other stakeholders views on regenerating our town centres, meeting our housing and employment needs, managing the natural and built environment, promoting health and well-being, tackling climate change, reducing the need to travel and infrastructure provision. However, at this stage in the plan making process no decision is being made on detailed policy wording or development site allocations.

Cabinet was advised that following receipt of stakeholder representations the plan will be refined to form the Regulation 19 ‘local plan submission draft’ that will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination during 2022.  

Cabinet was further advised that this consultation will take place under Regulation 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) and Town and Country Planning Regulations (Local Planning) 2012 (as amended).

In addition, Cabinet was informed that the Local Plan once formally adopted will form the statutory development plan (along with neighbourhood plans) for BCP and will be used to determine planning applications.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed the Cabinet advising that the Board had had a robust discussion around the term ‘city region’ and that the majority of the Board had agreed the subsequent recommendation from the Board on this matter.

In relation to this the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board advised that at their recent meeting the Board had resolved to accept the recommendations from the Local Plan Working Group and to make the following recommendation to Cabinet in respect of this item.

  1. That the word “city” be removed from the document so that the vision states, “We aim for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to be the UK’s newest region, brimming with prospects, positivity and pride.”

2.    That, to Reflect the Portfolio Holder’s statement at Full Council on 22 June 2021 in response to a question regarding the use of the Standard Method’s 2014 data, Cabinet should await the initial findings of the Housing Needs Assessment, which will then be considered at a further meeting of the Local Plan Working Group, before the Issues and Options document is put out to consultation.  The HNA will provide vital information to feed into the consultation relating to housing need within BCP. Cabinet will delegate any changes to the local plan consultation document to the Head of Planning and the Portfolio Holder, taking into account any recommendation from the Working Group once it has met to discuss the findings of the HNA.

In relation to recommendation 1 the Portfolio Holder addressed Cabinet and stressed that whilst the term ‘city region’ was referred to, that this was a term used by the government and didn’t mean that BCP would turn into a city, the Portfolio Holder therefore proposed that the term ‘city region’ be retained. Further to this the Portfolio Holder advised that he welcomed recommendation 2 and proposed that the recommendation within the report be amended to incorporate the recommendation from the Board.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           the BCP Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation Draft be approved for a minimum of 8 weeks public consultation in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Local Planning Regulations; and

(b)           Cabinet delegate authority to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning to make changes necessary to the plan prior to release for public consultation. Prior to the release of the plan for public consultation the Head of Planning and Portfolio Holder will take into account any recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Local Plan Working Group once they have met to consider the findings of the Local Housing Needs Assessment.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning

 

Supporting documents: