Agenda item

This report seeks Members approval of a revised Local Development Scheme to incorporate a further Regulation 18 consultation.

This report sought Members approval of a revised Local Development Scheme to incorporate a further Regulation 18 consultation.

The Director of Community and Environmental Services advised that due to the large number and nature of the public consultation responses it was proposed that there would be a further Regulation 18 Consultation which meant a change to the timetable was needed.  Once the Local Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) the Council were in their hands regarding how quickly they set up a public inquiry.

Councillor Matthew Bedford moved, duly seconded, the recommendation that the Local Development Scheme be recommended to Council for adoption.  By putting in an extra consultation it would delay the overall submission of the plan which may be helpful as the Government appeared to be thinking about whether it was going to reassess its overall framework. 

Members raised the following points:

•           Asked for clarification on how the Regulation 18 consultation would work and would it be opening back up the comments made on everything that was consulted on before or would there be amendments made.

•           Did we know of any sites which did not appear to be in any of the past documentation?

•           This report was asking Members to delay the Local Plan again which would make the Council open to developers and believed if the Council did not submit a Local Plan by the end of 2023 the Inspector would step in and take control.

•           When would we expect the sub-committee to start meeting.

•           The Council had its set of sites but was concerned about potential over development of the Green Belt if all the sites went through.  Would this consultation open up more sites in the Green Belt

In response to Members points the Lead Member advised:

•           The Council would not be consulting on sites which had already been consulted on.  The consultation would be needed if there were changes to sites or additional sites that had not been previously consulted on.  The sites were not mentioned at the moment but there may be sites which will come forward which need to be reassessed but this will go through the local plan sub-committee process as the first set of sites did.  Once they had been through the sub-committee then they would go out for public consultation. 

•           The Council would be far from alone in not having submitted a plan by the end of 2023.  Some other Councils in South West Herts were in the same position and there would be many other Councils in the country in the same position.

•           The sites would come to the Local Plan sub-committee and would be assessed on the same set of criteria as all the current sites.  If sites are less inappropriate then it makes sense to consider them.  If they were not included under the first process then they would not be included under this next stage.

The Chair advised that the report being presented to the Committee was to agree a revised timetable Local Plan and was not about sites.  The sub-committee was looking to start meeting in March.

On being put to the Committee the Chair declared the motion CARRIED the voting being 11 For, 1 Against and 0 Abstentions.

RECOMMEND:

The Local Development Scheme as set out in Appendix 1 of the report be adopted.