Decision details

The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Anderson and seconded by Councillor Williams:

Planning Bill

Whilst welcoming and participating in some of the Government’s proposed changes to the Planning system, for example the use of design codes and mapping, this Council is opposed to the reduction in community involvement, and requests that the Leader and Portfolio Holder for Planning write to the Secretary of State at Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to express the Council’s objection to the reduction.

The Council has concerns about the removal of local policies from the Development Plans part of the system, and the other consequences of allowing certain planning proposals to bypass local decision making in the Development Management part of the system altogether through further permitted development and prior approval, and asks that these matters are included too in objecting to the Secretary of State.

An amendment to the Motion was proposed by Councillor Tindall and seconded by Councillor England. The amendment was to include the following paragraph to the preliminary Motion:

Further, following the passage of the Bill, with consequential amendments and additions to the draft Local Plan

a.    The Council recognises that community involvement would benefit from a re-run of the Regulation 18 consultation, and

b.     The Council believes that the draft Local Plan would be strengthened for local people by added provisions for social housing, distinct from affordable housing.

A vote was held on the amended Motion:

15 for,

20 against,

0 abstentions,

Therefore the motion was denied.

A vote was then held on the original Motion:

22 for,

0 against,

12 abstentions,

Therefore the motion was carried.