Agenda item

** Due to the size of the documents, to assist with access and downloading, the appendices to the report are published as supplements to the main agenda “”

Report of Assistant Director - Planning and Development

Purpose of report

To present the draft Cherwell Local Plan 2040 for consideration and approval for public consultation.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1       To approve the draft Cherwell Local Plan 2040 at Appendices 1 and 2 for consultation purposes having regard to any comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

1.2       To delegate to the Assistant Director - Planning and Development the authority to approve the final presentation of the draft Local Plan and to make any minor amendments and corrections to the draft document he considers necessary prior to formal publication and in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning;

1.3       To delegate to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development the authority to finalise and publish supporting documents in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

Resolved

(1)          That consideration of the Draft Local Plan 2040 (Regulation 18) Consultation be deferred until a later date (to be determined) in light of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive to allow officers to consider these comments.

The Assistant Director - Planning and Development submitted a report to present the draft Cherwell Local Plan 2040 for consideration and approval for public consultation.

In introducing the report the Portfolio Holder for Planning gave an overview of the Local Plan review process explaining that at the Regulation 18 consultation stage, Councils were able to amend and update the draft plan, in part based on any consultation responses received. However, the Council could not  make any significant changes to the plan once the Publication (Regulation 19) stage had been reached. At the Publication stage, any responses are forwarded to an Independent Planning Inspector (or Inspectors) who presides over an Examination into whether the plan is Sound and so capable of adoption.  

The Portfolio Holder thanked the Planning Policy team for their hard work on the draft Local Plan and associated documents.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their detailed review of the draft Local Plan at their 11 January 2023 meeting, which he and the Leader had attended. The comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been published as a supplement to the Executive agenda.

In considering the report and the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Executive members highlighted that there was a lot of information and Members were very reliant on the maps, which did not presently differentiate between green buffers and proposed development area and would be helpful for village coalescence. Additionally there had been changes to the housing numbers published as an addendum to the report which required further consideration.

In light of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive members, the Portfolio Holder for Planning proposed that consideration of the Draft Local Plan 2040 (Regulation 18) be deferred until a later date (to be determined) which would allow officers time to consider those matters. The proposal was duly seconded by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Economy.

Councillor Dallimore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, addressed Executive and thanked the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Leader for attending the Committee’s meeting. Councillor Dallimore commented that the deferral was welcome in light of the Committee’s comments. Councillor Dallimore highlighted the comment from the Committee in relation to Member engagement and requested all Members be afforded further opportunities to engage in the process.

The Chairman and Executive members echoed the comments of the Portfolio Holder for Planning and thanked the Planning Policy team for their hard work to date and acknowledged the additional work as a result of deferral but the work was extremely important for the future of the district.

On being put to the vote the motion, duly seconded, to defer consideration of the Draft Local Plan 2040 (Regulation 18) until a later date (to be determined) in light of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive to allow officers to consider these comments, was unanimously approved.

Resolved

(1)          That consideration of the Draft Local Plan 2040 (Regulation 18) Consultation be deferred until a later date (to be determined) in light of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive to allow officers to consider these comments.

Reasons

Deferral of the item will allow time for consideration of the comments raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive

Alternative options

Option 1: To approve the draft Local Plan for consultation. This was rejected as it would not enable consideration of the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive.