To approve the Herefordshire Local Plan – Core Strategy 2011 – 2031 (draft) for pre-submission publication in accordance with regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

The Leader addressed Council and made the following comments in his opening remarks on the Herefordshire Local Plan/Core Strategy:

 

·         It was a credible strategic plan addressing key issues for the city and rural areas setting out the future economic growth.

·         The plan has been considered by the General Overview and Scrutiny Committee (GOSC) and Cabinet had held detailed discussions with the Cabinet Member.

·         When considering the plan Members should take a strategic and not local view.

 

The Cabinet Member Environment, Housing and Planning presented the report of the Assistant Director Economic, Environment and Cultural Services on the Herefordshire Local Plan / Core Strategy and made the following comments.

 

·         The plan is part of an on-going process since 2007, which will eventually replace the Unitary Development Plan and take the County through to 2031.

·         The plan is essential for the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the County.

·         The plan will be reinforced by the Council’s Area Action Plans and by town and parish council Neighbourhood Plans.

·         Seven public consultations have been carried out over six years between 2007/13. The Plan has matured and therefore options proposed in earlier versions have now been removed.

·         Subject to Council’s approval this plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent inspection.

 

Next Stages:

Ø  Autumn 2013, publication and submission of the plan.

Ø  Winter 2013/Spring 2014, Inspection of the plan.

Ø  Summer 2014, adoption of the plan.

 

The Cabinet Member thanked all those who had taken part in the process of developing the plan and thanked officers for their hard work and support.  He added that the proposed Local Plan / Core Strategy 2011/31 provided a framework for the future prosperity of Herefordshire.

 

Group Leaders and the Chairman of the GOSC addressed Council and made the following comments on the plan:

 

·         Some town and parish councils felt they had not been consulted properly.

·         A large building programme of homes was proposed but it was felt there was not the employment to sustain families.

·         It was felt that both the Enterprise Park at Leominster and the industrial estate at Rotherwas were under used.

·         Not having an eastern road option showed a major gap in the plan.

·         It was felt that the plan was not viable, sustainable and reliable and it was suggested that a three month delay, to review and re-evaluate, would produce a better plan. 

·         It was felt Council was being asked to approve a plan that had no economic strategy and a core strategy that was not sustainable.

·         It was felt that the responses of the public had been ignored.

·         The administration needs to ensure that it has got the process correct.

·         After reviewing the plan the GOSC had made the recommendation to defer until October 2013.

 

Councillor A Seldon moved that consideration of the Herefordshire Local Plan/Core Strategy be deferred for three months to allow for further consultation.  The motion was seconded by Councillor WLS Bowen.

 

The following comments were made in discussing the proposed Notice of Motion:

 

·         Town councils want to receive legal advice on the core strategy and believe public examination of the core strategy is needed.  Believe there has been an overreliance on ward members for consultation.

·         Bromyard area has been asked to accept the building of 500 homes in area without having any designated employment land included.

·         Some Members did not believe a delay would have a detrimental effect.  Other felt that a delay for further consultation would take longer than three months.  Council was reminded that the plan had been deferred in June 2012 to date to allow for further consultation.

·         Council was reminded that over 60 public meetings had been held for consultation resulting in amendments being made to the plan.  There was concern that the results from the consultation could be manipulated.

·         It was stated there was an assumption that the north west expansion would fund the proposed western relief road by way of the community infrastructure levy, but it was felt that the construction of this road would have its own complications.

·         It was pointed out that some parish councils were keen for the plan to be approved as communities were vulnerable to developers whilst it was not and any delay would not change the outcome.

·         Council was reminded that the outcome to the consultation was published on the web.  With regard to the letter from the market towns and the proposed amendment, the Cabinet Member advised that Legal Counsel advice had been sought.  

 

Councillor RI Matthews moved that the motion be put which was seconded by Councillor WLS Bowen.  The meeting agreed that the question be put.  A named vote was taken and the motion was lost.

 

For: Councillors PA Andrews, CNH Attwood, CM Bartrum, WLS Bowen, EMK Chave, J Hardwick, EPJ Harvey, AJ Hempton-Smith, MAF Hubbard, TM James, JLV Kenyon, MD Lloyd-Hayes, RI Matthews, PJ McCaull, C Nicholls, FM Norman, R Preece, SJ Robertson, A Seldon, and GR Swinford.

 

Against: Councillors AM Atkinson, LO Barnett, , PL Bettington, AJM Blackshaw, H Bramer, AN Bridges, ACR Chappell, MJK Cooper, PGH Cutter, BA Durkin, DW Greenow, KS Guthrie, RB Hamilton, JW Hope MBE, JA Hyde, JG Jarvis, AW Johnson, Brig P Jones CBE, JF Knipe, JG Lester, JW Millar, PM Morgan, RJ Phillips, GJ Powell, PD Price, P Rone; P Sinclair-Knipe, J Stone, DC Taylor, PJ Watts and DB Wilcox.

 

 

FOR                20

AGAINST        31

ABSTAIN        0

 

Following the vote Councillor MAF Hubbard proposed an amendment to the recommendations which was seconded by Councillor RI Matthews.

 

That full Council be required to approve the versions of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan; the Economic Viability Assessment and the Nutrient Management Plan before these are released to examination in public.

 

The Cabinet Member reminded Council that the timetable for the Core Strategy had been agreed by GOSC and had been adhered to.  Some Members felt that all key documents should be seen by full Council prior to submission.

 

Councillor GJ Powell moved that the motion be put which was seconded by Councillor BA Durkin.  The meeting agreed that the question be put. 

 

Councillor Hubbard clarified that in putting the amendment forward it was not intended to delay, merely to ensure the final evidence was put before full Council.  A named vote was taken and the amendment was lost.

 

For: Councillors PA Andrews, CNH Attwood, WLS Bowen, EMK Chave, J Hardwick, EPJ Harvey, AJ Hempton-Smith, MAF Hubbard, TM James, JLV Kenyon, RI Matthews, PJ McCaull, C Nicholls, FM Norman, R Preece, SJ Robertson, A Seldon, and GR Swinford.

 

Against: Councillors AM Atkinson, LO Barnett, CM Bartrum, PL Bettington, AJM Blackshaw, H Bramer, ACR Chappell, MJK Cooper, PGH Cutter, BA Durkin, DW Greenow, KS Guthrie, RB Hamilton, JW Hope MBE, JA Hyde, JG Jarvis, AW Johnson, Brig P Jones CBE, JG Lester, JW Millar, PM Morgan, RJ Phillips, GJ Powell, PD Price, P Rone, P Sinclair-Knipe, J Stone, DC Taylor, PJ Watts and DB Wilcox.

 

Abstain: AN Bridges and JF Knipe.

 

FOR                18

AGAINST        30

ABSTAIN        2

 

Members went on to discuss the recommendations outlined in the report to Council.  The following comments were made in discussion:

 

·         Councillor Bettington stated that in supporting the recommendations he requested his reservations about the Herefordshire Local Pan were noted.

·         Councillor Phillips, as a member of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), stated his support for the Herefordshire Local Plan and its importance for growth.  He added that employment land for Bromyard needed to be addressed.

·         Councillor Powell asked for a minor textual amendment to be made to the first sentence of the third paragraph on Agenda page 130 to read:

 

‘The indicative rural HMA target will assist in informing the scale of development in the villages identified in each HMA’

 

Instead of:

 

‘In addition to the indicative rural HMA target, a further set of targets will assist in informing the scale of development in the villages identified in each HMA’

·         Concern was raised that the plan did not acknowledge the biggest employers in the County were the self employed.

·         Councillor Matthews stated his support for growth and a reasonable number of new homes, but that it should be economy led.  The western route for the road was unaffordable and not supported by the local MPs.  The eastern route was cheaper and in the view of local people was the preferred route.

·         In response to the ‘east v west’ route it was stated that the administration was not allowed to use the eastern route.

·         Members expressed concern at the scale of development for Leominster, the lack of employment in the area and the additional high level of traffic.  There was not the infrastructure to support additional housing and transport sustainably.

·         Councillor Harvey stated Ledbury residents objected to the scale of housing for the area and were seeking legal advice on challenging the strategy.

·         Council was reminded that the recommendations only allowed for minor changes to be made.

 

Comments made by Group Leaders in their summing up were:

 

·         Appreciate the efforts of both officers and Members.

·         Need a core strategy that does not leave the County open to developers.

·         Do not believe the plan is sustainable, viable or deliverable.

·         Not confident the Council has the technical ability to deliver current core strategy.

 

The Leader’s comments in summing up were:

 

·         When speaking with Jessie Norman MP he stated he had no problem in supporting the western route, he merely wanted to know if the administration had a closed mind to the eastern route.

·         Understood that Members had concerns but there was a process for concerns to be addressed, which was through the planning inspectorate.  Approving the plan was only the start of the process.

 

Councillor Powell spoke as the seconder of the recommendations and reminded Council that the same arguments had been made 25 years earlier when discussing a relief road.  He stated a clear direction of travel was needed and the plan provided it.

 

The Cabinet Member thanked everyone for their contribution to the debate.  He informed Council that the Highways Agency had stated that the relief road was necessary to the core strategy.  The Environment Agency and Natural England had made a commitment to work together to support the core strategy.

 

A named vote was taken.

 

For: Councillors AM Atkinson, LO Barnett, CM Bartrum, PL Bettington, AJM Blackshaw, H Bramer, ACR Chappell, MJK Cooper, PGH Cutter, BA Durkin, DW Greenow, KS Guthrie, RB Hamilton, JW Hope MBE, JA Hyde, JG Jarvis, AW Johnson, Brig P Jones CBE, JF Knipe, JW Millar, PM Morgan, RJ Phillips, GJ Powell, R Preece, PD Price, P Rone, P Sinclair-Knipe, J Stone, DC Taylor, PJ Watts and DB Wilcox.

 

Against:, CNH Attwood, EMK Chave, J Hardwick, EPJ Harvey, AJ Hempton-Smith, MAF Hubbard, JLV Kenyon, RI Matthews, PJ McCaull, C Nicholls, FM Norman, SJ Robertson, A Seldon, and GR Swinford.

 

Abstain: Councillors PA Andrews, WLS Bowen, AN Bridges, TM James, and JG Lester.

 

FOR                31

AGAINST        14

ABSTAIN        5

RESOLVED

THAT COUNCIL:

a)    approve the Herefordshire Local Plan – Core Strategy 2011-2031 (draft) as the preferred strategic planning document for Herefordshire pre-submission consultation;

b)    delegate authority to the Assistant Director Economic, Environment and Cultural Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Environment, Housing and Planning, in the event that technical and typographical amendments are required to the Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031 and supporting documents, resulting from the completion of on-going technical work;

c)    following the completion of the pre-submission publication of the Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031 and its supporting documents the documents be submitted to the Secretry of State for an Examination in Public; and

d)    delegate authority to the Assistant Director Economic, Environment and Cultural Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member Environment, Housing and Planning to make any minor textual, typographical amendments, that does not affect the overall strategy of the Plan, prior to the submission to the Secretary of State.