To update Members on progress and proposed changes to the timetable for finalising the Local Development Framework Core Strategy and the implications and options for the Local Transport Plan.

Cabinet received a report on the progress and proposed changes to the timetable for finalising the Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Strategy and the implications and options for the Local Transport Plan.  In his introduction to the report, the Cabinet Member (Environment, Housing and Planning) raised the following issues:

·         That a key issue was the proposal to undertake a further round of consultation on the Core Strategy prior to its submission to the Secretary of State.  This was essential, as the Strategy was not yet compliant with EU requirements as to Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations.

·         The report paid regard to emergent case law, and drew attention to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF).  The Strategy would need to be compliant with the NPFF whilst also supporting the local communities.  Other issues would have to be taken into consideration such as the possible impact on the River Wye Special Area of Conservation and policies related to rural areas as a result of changes to the planning system.

The Cabinet Member (Education & Infrastructure) said that the intention was to adopt a short term Local Transport Plan for 2014-15, in order to ensure that the linkage with the Local Development Framework was maintained.

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regeneration outlined the recommendations regarding the LDF in the report.  The Head of Transportation and Access reported on the LTP recommendations.  He said that whilst there were no statutory or other legal requirements to adopt these two strategies at the same time,  the original aim to coordinate the two remained valid, and there were key linkages that needed to be maintained to allow for the an LTP which reflected the Core Strategy, when both were adopted. 

By the leave of the Leader, Councillor D Taylor was invited to address Cabinet.  Councillor Taylor asked that Cabinet disregard a proposed route for the Western relief road that cut across the Belmont Abbey Playing Fields, which had been in constant use since the 1950s.  He suggested that a short field owned by Belmont Abbey could provide a link to the B4349 and be extended onto the proposed road.  The Leader thanked him for his contribution, and said that there had been correspondence with Belmont Abbey on this matter, but due process was required to ensure that all options had been taken into consideration before the Core Strategy was submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

In the ensuing discussion, the following points were raised:

·         A Member commented on the recommendations and said that whilst there was an acknowledgement in the report of objections to the road, there was no mention of objections to the absence of alternatives to the Relief Road under recommendation (a) in the report. He expressed concern that the LTP would be found to be unsound if it had not examined this issue.  The Head of Transportation and Access pointed out that three different options had been looked at; a no relief road option, and an east or west option.  These had been modelled with three variations of modal car usage and the results from this study, conducted in 2010, were on the Council’s website.

·         A Member asked what the fall back position was should the outstanding issues mentioned in recommendation (c) in the report not be resolved.  He went on to ask how far the interim protocol mentioned in recommendation (e) would be guided by the consultation results, and that public concern over affordable housing should be addressed as part of the protocol together with the requirement for a housing land buffer, which was part of the National Planning Policy Framework. 

·         In reply to a Member’s question as to why the southern route corridor of the Hereford relief road had been progressed independently of the rest of the western relief road, the Head of Transportation and Access said that it was being progressed to the planning stage as it was a long standing commitment within the current Local Transport Plan, which had been approved by Council in 2006.

·         A Member asked why the Core Strategy was not compliant with EU requirements as to Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulation Assessment, as the legal requirement for compliance had been made clear in 2010. 

·         In reply to a question from a Member, the Leader said that the partners on the Water Quality Steering Group would have to be consulted before any recommendation could be made that the Minutes from the Group should be made public. The Head of Strategic Planning and Regeneration added that water quality issues were fundamental to taking the plans forward, and were at the forefront of the Council’s efforts.

·         The Cabinet Member (Environment, Housing and Planning) thanked the Member for his offer to work closely with the Executive on these issues, and said that he was confident that a way forward could be found on the matters that had been raised.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

              With regard to the Local Development Framework (LDF) and planning matters:

(a)       notes the summary of the results of the Revised Preferred Option consultation undertaken between September and November 2011;

(b)       agrees that a further round of consultation be undertaken on the Core Strategy, on the basis of a full draft document, evidence base and Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment which demonstrates that the plan will not adversely affect the integrity of relevant European sites;

(c)       endorse that, subject to outstanding issues being resolved, the proposed scale and distribution of development and strategic housing, employment and infrastructure proposals, as set out in paragraph 49, form the basis of the draft Core Strategy;

(d)       endorses the approach to prepare the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging schedule in parallel with the preparation of the Core Strategy with a joint Examination in Public;

(e)       agrees an interim protocol to be taken into account in determining planning applications for new housing proposals in the absence of a demonstrable five-year housing supply; and

(f)        agrees the amended timetable for the preparation of the Core Strategy.

With regard to the Local Transport Plan (LTP):

(g)       agree that a Local Transport Plan (LTP) covering the period to 2014/15 is developed and adopted in advance of the final consideration of the LDF Core Strategy;

(h)       notes the proposed timetable for adopting the LTP and the summary of what that Plan will include; and

(i)        notes the key on-going linkages between the LTP and LDF and proposals to prepare and adopt an LTP to cover the period from 2015 to 2031 in association with the revised timetable for the Core Strategy.