Agenda item

Resolved to Recommend

1.    Cabinet recommended that Council that the Revised Strategy for Growth (Appendix 1) be published for consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

2.    Cabinet approved the revised timetable for the Local Plan as detailed in the Local Development Scheme (Appendix 2) and delegates authority to the Strategic Director (Place) to make any final minor editorial and typographical revisions to the document including any necessary to reflect the Cabinet’s discussions and decision

3.    Cabinet considered the views of Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee and officer response (Appendix 4) and sets out any changes to be made to the consultation document.

Resolved to Recommend

4.    Cabinet recommended that Council delegates authority to make changes to the Revised Strategy for Growth, including any necessary to reflect the Cabinet’s and/or Council discussions and decision, to the Strategic Director – Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Place.

Decision

1.         That Cabinet recommends to Council that the Revised Strategy for Growth (Appendix 1) be published for consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

2.         That Cabinet approves the revised timetable for the Local Plan as detailed in the Local Development Scheme (Appendix 2) and delegates authority to the Strategic Director (Place) to make any final minor editorial and typographical revisions to the document including any necessary to reflect the Cabinet’s discussions and decision.

3.         That Cabinet considers the views of Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee and officer response (Appendix 4) and sets out any changes to be made to the consultation document.

4.         That Cabinet recommends Council delegates authority to make changes to the Revised Strategy for Growth, including any necessary to reflect the Cabinet’s and/or Council discussions and decision, to the Strategic Director – Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Place.

Corporate Priorities

The Dacorum Local Plan 2024-2040 promotes the achievement of all the corporate priorities as set out below:

•           A clean, safe and enjoyable environment

•           Building strong and vibrant communities

•           Ensuring economic growth and prosperity

•           Providing good quality affordable homes, in particular for those most in need

•           Ensuring efficient, effective and modern service delivery

•           Climate and ecological emergency

Statutory Officer Comments:

Monitoring Officer:

The statutory procedure to be followed for the Local Plan is set out in the statute and regulations noted in section 6 of this report and the Council will follow the procedures through to formal adoption.  There are no further legal implications at this stage and any issues arising will be reviewed as the plan progresses to adoption.

S151 Officer:

The delivery of the Local Plan consultation paper has no direct financial impact on the Council and has been delivered within approved budgets.

The strategic financial importance to Dacorum of the delivery and implementation of a long term Local Plan cannot be underestimated; the plan enables and supports wider growth in infrastructure, the local economy and businesses.

Advice

Cllr Wilke introduced the report and was happy to take questions.

Cllr William referred to the chart on page 57, and the column relating to the 2023 plan, he said that each settlement had a figure for windfall with the exception of Berkamstead, which shows as a percentage. If that is correct he asked what that was a percentage of. His 2^nd question referred to the same chart on page 58, he said that he could not make sense of the numbers in the final box.

S Whelan confirmed that the chart on page 57 had now been amended, as the figure for Berkamstead was a typographical error that had now been amended. She said that there was an amended version in appendix 4 of the cabinet papers.

R Leydon confirmed that the chart was not lined up properly on page 58 and the figure of 5500 quotes should be against Hemel Hempstead, the numbers on the column titled previous draft strategy 2020 were the total number of homes proposed 3 years ago. The second Column, which is Revised Strategy, which is the one, they will be consulting on shortly sets out the number of homes they were now proposing as developing on land identified as the green belt.

Recommendation agreed