Government requires neighbouring local authorities, other planning authorities and prescribed bodies to co-operate on strategic planning matters and to agree on these matters in order to demonstrate effective and on-going joint working by strategic plan-making authorities.

Any strategic and other cross-boundary matters should be identified in any signed agreements, as should the cooperation between plan making authorities in addressing any such issues.

This Memorandum of Understanding demonstrates how Herefordshire Council and Powys Council have co-operated and sets out how strategic matters will be addressed through future planning policy development, following this co-operation. By being a signatory, Herefordshire Council is giving a public commitment that the duty to cooperate has been fulfilled, that effective joint-working on cross-boundary strategic matters has taken place, and that the strategic matters have been addressed rather than deferred. This MoU could be used as a pre-cursor to any identified future need for a Statement of Common Ground with Powys Council and any other relevant bodies.

This agreement will not prevent Herefordshire Council or Powys Council from making representations to their respective minerals or waste plans or from participating at either authority’s examinations in public.

Strategic cross boundary issues, in this instance, relate to minerals provision, the safeguarding of mineral resources and their associated infrastructure. Herefordshire Council has worked, and will continue to work with Powys Council on these matters. Whilst at present, there are no strategic matters of concern, should any issues arise at future stages of the emerging MWLP or in relation to emerging minerals or waste plans in Powys, then these will be addressed as part of the ongoing duty to cooperate requirements.