Agenda item

J Doe introduced the report to the Committee to give a summary of the Local Planning Framework and what has been achieved and what is still to come.

• Section 1 of the report is a reminder of what makes up the Local Planning Framework and it comprises a portfolio of documents. The Core Strategy was adopted at Full Council in 2013 setting the strategic context of development in the whole of Dacorum. The next major piece of work referred to in the report is Site Allocations which goes to public examination in the spring.
• Paragraph 1.7 refers to the progress on development. 411 units have been completed during the business year. J Doe drew the Committee’s attention to the 2-3 year delivery figure which is it lower than the target figure of 430 dwellings per annum. This will vary over the lifetime of the plan and it is forecast that the delivery rate will rise but this is a figure that needs to be kept an eye on. Most of the delivery is done through the private sector although the Council house building programme will contribute to this level. 
• The supply of land for housing is good at a 5.9 year supply. The government requires a five year supply and if a local authority dips below this figure, developers seeking permission may have a case for approval due to an inadequate supply of land.
• 72% of dwellings were completed on previously developed land, otherwise known as brownfield sites which is better than previous years. The level is not as high in the 1990’s and 2000’s where we were hitting over 90% - the Kodak tower was redeveloped as well as the Apsley Mills project which contributed to this high figure.
• There is a healthy supply of affordable homes coming through the system.
• The site allocations development plan document which sets out the detailed requirements that the Council puts on developers to deliver out the sites it has identified for building on. It refers to the six allocated sites – LA1 through to LA6 but it also refers to a number of locations within the urban envelope than aren’t in the Green Belt. There have been changes in government policy which has meant some changes were needed so this has pushed the project back a little. A report went to Cabinet on 15^th December and going to Council with a recommendation to approve on 20^th January and the examination by the planning inspector is expected to take place in May.
• This is backed up by a series of masterplans have been pushed on the six allocated sites. The Council has worked with the land owners and developers to set further detail. The Planning Advisory Service has latched on to Dacorum for good practice and features as good practice in a national case study.
• A new Local Plan for Dacorum is currently in progress and this will develop throughout this year. It is likely as part of this work there will be a series of new development management policies for considering development. This will include policies on design, landscape, space – things that the Development Control Committee use frequently. The area action plan for East Hemel Hempstead is broadly the Maylands area but has the potential to move across the district boundary into the St Albans area. The significance of this is that St Albans have just last week published their draft Local Plan for consultation. One of the key proposals of that plan is to identify land between the edge of Hemel Hempstead and the M1 for substantial new developments. The Area Action Plan would look at how that area is developed more comprehensively. Discussions have taken place at officer level and between the Portfolio Holders.

J Doe asked for feedback from the Committee about how they would like to be involved in the development of a Local Plan. In the past, a task and finish group has been set up with a handful of members to scrutinise policy which will then feedback to the main Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Anderson highlighted that it would be useful to look at the “The Plan” framework and possibly change the name to avoid future confusion and differentiate between plans.

J Doe admitted that the terminology could be confusing and there has been renaming due to the present government policy. It is down to local discretion regarding the name. Cabinet have agreed on “Single Local Plan”.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe referred to paragraph 1.15 and said there was no mention of the infrastructure that would be required if 2,500 homes were built in the area. Also, there is a duty to cooperate and under a new Local Plan there could be a possible conflict with those members who sit on Development Control, so can we have some guidelines now?

J Doe said that very little has been able to be said on the Area Action Plan because it has been constrained to the decisions by St Albans City and District Council. The decision that has been published now allows for discussions to take place and things can move forward. In terms of the involvement of members of Development Control Committee, J Doe said he would need to take advice from the Monitoring Officer regarding the Task and Finish group and its membership.

Councillor Anderson said that he felt the Committee needed more information before making a decision on membership.

C Taylor said with regard to infrastructure that there has been work on a Maylands Growth Corridor. It has been funded by the LEP and it has been looking at the expected growth of that area and what infrastructure is needed to cope with that growth. The project is well developed with solutions including new road layouts and has been consulted on with the business community. Rough estimates of costs are around £70 million to deliver this and this work has been feeding into the Enterprise Zone application.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said she was unaware of these plans as a Ward Councillor and requested a briefing for herself and the other Ward Councillor R Sutton.

Councillor G Adshead seconded Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe’s statement and asked about the intentions of St Albans given that this development would have a greater impact on Hemel Hempstead than it would St Albans. Also, is that not contaminated land so will the development be feasible?

J Doe said with relation to the impact on the town, this was a discussion that himself and Councillor G Sutton needed to have with St Albans. Essentially, it is an extension of Hemel Hempstead but falls under St Albans boundary. He had no direct information regarding the land but was under the impression it was mainly farm land.

Councillor Ashbourn stated that it was easy for an emphasis on the provision of housing but has there been enough thought regarding the longer-term impact with relation to the environment, provision of services and quality of life. Eventually, there will be practical limitations when developing large areas.

J Doe said every Council must plan for sustainable development with aspects like energy efficiency and a reduction in the need for travel.

Councillor S Hearn asked if there was any consideration to the influence on judgement this may have on other towns to provide homes.

J Doe said that the 2,500 new homes that St Albans are planning will contribute to their numbers. However, that is a conversation that will happen to see if some of those homes will contribute to Dacorum’s figures. There are not too many examples of Council’s sharing numbers but is aware that Luton Council has as their Town Centre is surrounded by rural Central Bedfordshire land.

Outcome

The Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and requested the set-up of a Task and Finish group pending the decision on membership.

See Appendix A