Issue - meetings

Report of Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy

Purpose of report

To consider the designation of a ‘Mid-Cherwell’ Neighbourhood Area comprising eleven parishes.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1         To approve the formal designation of the specified ‘Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Area’ under Section 61G of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended).

1.2         To authorise the Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy to issue a Notification of Decision pursuant to recommendation 1.1.

Resolved

(1)          That the formal designation of the specified ‘Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Area’ under Section 61G of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) be approved.

(2)          That the Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy be authorised to issue a Notification of Decision pursuant to resolution (1).

The Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy submitted a report to consider the designation of a ‘Mid-Cherwell’ Neighbourhood Area comprising eleven parishes.

Resolved

(1)          That the formal designation of the specified ‘Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Area’ under Section 61G of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) be approved.

(2)          That the Head of Strategic Planning and the Economy be authorised to issue a Notification of Decision pursuant to resolution (1).

Reasons

The area application presented would, if approved, result in the designation of a ‘Mid-Cherwell’ Neighbourhood Area comprising the parishes of Ardley with Fewcott, Kirtlington, Duns Tew, Lower Heyford, Middleton Stoney, Somerton, Steeple Aston, Middle Aston, North Aston, Fritwell and Upper Heyford. For the reasons set out in section 3 of this report it is considered that the specified area would be coherent logical, notwithstanding the challenges of producing a Neighbourhood Plan for such an extensive area and including the district’s largest strategic development site – Former RAF Upper Heyford. The specified parishes represent a reasonable ‘sphere of influence’ on which to collectively base the plan, albeit with wider community and stakeholder consultation and potentially a much wider referendum being required.

The Council has a statutory duty to provide advice or assistance to a parish council, neighbourhood forum or community organisation that is producing a neighbourhood plan. The PPG advises that local planning authorities must be proactive in providing information to communities about neighbourhood planning and constructively engage with the community throughout the process.

The involvement of 11 Parish Councils and the district’s largest strategic development site means that this Neighbourhood Plan process will particularly require the close involvement of officers and regular reports to the Joint Management Team and to Members.

Alternative options

Option 1 - to refuse to designate the proposed area, provide reasons and to designate an alternative area based on separately designating individual parishes

Option 2 - to refuse to designate the proposed area, provide reasons and to designate an alternative area based on removing the former RAF Upper Heyford site

Were the Executive minded to refuse the application, an alternative area would need to be designated. Designating individual parishes would, in this case, not provide for the collective working being proposed. Excluding the Former RAF Upper Heyford site from the Neighbourhood Area would still allow for a collective approach among the parishes but would remove the principal reason for the joint working. Local Plan Part 2 would provide an alternative mechanism for collective working but the application expresses the local support for progressing a Neighbourhood Plan and the NPPF makes clear that local planning authorities should facilitate neighbourhood planning.