Meeting documents

Deputy Leader
Friday 7th February 2020

10 NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL PLAN - PREFERRED OPTIONS PUBLIC CONSULTATION - The Director: Business Development submitted a report seeking approval to publish for public consultation the Preferred Options version (Regulation 18) of the new North Lincolnshire Local Plan.

Local planning authorities should prepare development plans (Local Plans) for their area. Current Government guidance stated that this should be in the form of a Local Plan and that it should plan for a timescale of at least 15 years.

Local Plans were the way that the local planning authority indicated to developers and the public the type of development that should happen and where. They were used as a starting point when determining planning applications.

The council was preparing a new single Local Plan for North Lincolnshire. Once formally adopted it would replace the current North Lincolnshire Local Plan Adopted 2003, the Core Strategy and Housing and Employment Land Allocations Development Plan Documents and the Lincolnshire Lakes Area Action Plan.

The council had already undertaken an initial consultation exercise and an Issues and Options (Regulation 18) consultation. These, together with available evidence and policy, had helped inform the next stage of plan preparation. A summary of the comments received during the consultation stages as part of the evidence base for the Plan had been published, so it was clear how the document had been created.

The council was currently preparing the Preferred Options (Regulation 18) document of the Local Plan which would set out the 'preferred' planning policies for North Lincolnshire up to 2036, identifying 'preferred' sites and areas for new housing, jobs, retail, minerals, waste and infrastructure as well as areas for protection. It sought to address a wide range of issues, scales of development and balance competing interests. This all took place within the administrative boundary of North Lincolnshire.

The report set out details of what was contained in the Preferred Options Document, including headline messages and details of public consultation events.

Resolved - (a) That the 'Regulation 18 Preferred Options' document be approved, and responsibility be delegated to the Head of Economy and Growth for the commencement of the consultation on completion of the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulation Assessment, and (b) that the 'Regulation 18 Preferred Options' document be consulted upon for a period no shorter than six weeks in length.

11 NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME REVISED NOVEMBER 2019 - The Director: Business Development submitted a report seeking approval for the timetable set out in the revision of the Local Development Scheme (November 2019).
Section 15 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended), required the council to prepare a timetable, formally known as the Local Development Scheme (LDS), setting the documents that would make up the Local Plan and the key dates (or milestones) for its preparation. These included public consultation periods, submission to the Government for independent examination, the examination itself and adoption. The LDS also covered the preparation of the Community Infrastructure Levy and the Statement of Community Involvement.

The LDS must be made publically available and kept up to date. Progress in meeting the key dates would be assessed in the Authority Monitoring Report, which was produced annually.

The council was seeking to develop a new local plan covering the period 2017 and 2036. The Government was clear in the recently published National Planning Policy Framework, Housing White Paper and Written Ministerial Statement that local planning authorities should bring forward up to date local plans without delay. Without an up to date local plan the council would not be able to defend controversial planning applications and maintain a five year land supply of housing sites.

The main amendments to the existing LDS had previously been approved by the Cabinet Member, that Statement of Community Involvement had been adopted and therefore the LDS required amendment to reflect the situation. It was important to note that the timescale for the Local Plan and Community Infrastructure Levy had not been amended in the LDS and would be kept under review in the light of any potential changes at national level regarding developer contributions.

Resolved - (a) That the timetable for the revised Local Development Scheme (November 2019) be approved and brought into effect as from the date of the decision, and (b) that the Local Development Scheme be published on the council's website.