Agenda item

That

1.   the draft revised SCI for focussed consultation be agreed;

2.   authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning, Development and Regeneration (in consultation with the Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Holder) to agree the arrangements for focussed consultation on the draft SCI; and

3.    authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning, Development and Regeneration (in consultation with the Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Holder) to make any additional minor modifications required to the SCI prior to consultation (i.e. to ensure the text of the plan is up-to-date)

Decision

That

1.   the draft revised SCI for focussed consultation be agreed;

2.   authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning, Development and Regeneration (in consultation with the Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Holder) to agree the arrangements for focussed consultation on the draft SCI; and

3.   authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning, Development and Regeneration (in consultation with the Planning and Regeneration Portfolio Holder) to make any additional minor modifications required to the SCI prior to consultation (i.e. to ensure the text of the plan is up-to-date)

Corporate objectives

The Council’s Local Plan (which the SCI forms one of the documents of) helps support all 5 corporate objectives:

·         Safe and clean environment: e.g. contains policies relating to the design and layout of new development that promote security and safe access;

·         Community Capacity: e.g. provide a framework for local communities to prepare area-specific guidance such as Neighbourhood Plans, Town / Village Plans etc.;

·         Affordable housing: e.g. sets the Borough’s overall housing target and the proportion of new homes that must be affordable;

·         Dacorum delivers:  e.g. provides a clear framework upon which planning decisions can be made; and

Regeneration: e.g. sets the planning framework for key regeneration projects, such as Hemel Hempstead town centre and the Maylands Business Park.

Monitoring Officer/S.151 Officer comments

Deputy Monitoring Officer

As pointed out in the implications section of this report, a SCI is a legal requirement resulting from various pieces of legislation.

Since adoption, legislation has moved on, not least in the area of data protection, so a review at this stage is sensible

Deputy Section 151 Officer

There are no direct financial consequences of this report.

Advice

Councillor G Sutton introduced the item. It is a legal requirement to produce and update this plan. Its aim is to give guidance to the Local Plan, Neighbourhood Plans and planning applications.

Councillor Tindall referred to paragraph 4.2 in the report. He asked about the focused consultation – town and parish councils are mentioned but was concerned that as Hemel Hempstead was an unparished area, there would be little representation from this area in the consultation as there has been a gradual decline in Neighbourhood Association meetings. He asked how the council were planning to replace the democratic consultation process in wards that are not parished and asked if ward councillors will be asked to consult with their residents.

Councillor G Sutton said there would be a six week formal consultation process over February and March and it will be going to Cabinet and Council. It will be widely publicised.

Councillor Tindall asked if the administration had any ideas on how to consult a large proportion of the borough.

Councillor Marshall referred again to paragraph 4.2. She said it needs to be clear that borough councillors are individually consulted, not through the scrutiny process but as individuals. Most queries councillors receive do relate to planning issues and each councillor has a view on this.

Councillor Williams said it was a requirement to consult town and parish councils. Hemel Hempstead is not missing out. He said that he didn’t feel that Neighbourhood Associations would have filled that gap as it isn’t the same process.

Councillor Tindall argued that areas that have a Town or Parish Council get three representations: the parish council, the borough councillors and residents groups. He asked if it could be specified that in non-parish areas, borough councillors will be consulted.

Councillor Williams said he was happy to include this. He didn’t think it was appropriate to differentiate between those in parish and un-parished areas.

M Gaynor clarified that the consultation on the Local Plan would be open to all residents.  He also stated that this consultation was only concerning the Statement of Community Involvement; the Local Plan consultation will go further than this.

J Doe said that they consult with a wide range of residents and community groups and an extensive database has been built up over the years. This is an update to the old statement and brings in legislative requirements to create a more effective document.

Councillor Marshall referred to paragraph 4.5 on page 18. She said the consultation is seeking views on modifications to the statement but cannot see the track changes on the agenda. She then referred to page 67 about statutory DBC publicity requirements. This is a debate that has been had before and the need to use the notification notices more widely. Some are too narrow especially when it is a high profile planning application. Councillor Marshall then asked why there was no requirement for a neighbourhood consultation letter for TPOs.

J Doe said that had always been the case for TPOs – they have a shorter determination period so it is not always possible to consult directly with residents. He said he would take Councillor Marshall’s point away.

Councillor Birnie asked about the consultation process.

Councillor Williams said all planning applications are listed on the website and that six weeks was the standard consultation time.

Voting

None