Agenda item

The Head of Regulatory Services to submit a report recommending a series of ‘focussed changes’ identified from the items on the agenda.

The Chairman of the Melton Local Plan Working Group, Councillor Chandler presented the report prepared by the Head of Regulatory Services the purpose of which was to seek the Council’s agreement to the content of a ‘Draft Melton Local Plan Addendum of Focused Changes’ document, and that it be published for public and other consultations prior to its submission as part of the Local Plan for Examination.

Councillor Chandler explained:

•           the report essentially brought together all of the focused changes previously discussed except those devised afresh at this meeting which could be added and treated in the same way;

•           the appendices showed how they could be physically presented and were designed to identify what was new and what was being changed through a series of new pages, and where relevant for the route of the road and the Sustainable Neighbourhood boundaries, new maps;

•           all the evidence documents and the updated supporting documents which needed to go alongside the changes were also described;

•           the essential purpose of the recommendation was to proceed on this basis with a package of focused changes as set out, along with those added at this meeting.  However, Members were also invited to consider the extent to which consultation should be carried out and a suggestion from the Working Group was contained at paragraph 3.21 very much on similar lines as earlier phases.  The consultation events were very time consuming and it was suggested that the ‘drop in’ events were limited to 4 or 5.

Councillor Chandler then moved the recommendations numbered (i) to (v) in the report and this was seconded by Councillor Illingworth.

The Head of Regulatory Services responded to points raised by the Deputy Leader about the Somerby sites 2 and 3 clarifying that some changes had been included in the narrative of the policy for consultation, and confirmed that the areas of separation contained within appendix 4 pertaining to Bottesford were only indicative with no hard and fast boundaries.

Councillor Lumley then expressed his thanks to Councillor Glancy for the revision of the Northern SUE in relation to the Melton Country Park.  The Member stressed that a boundary of at least 100m was needed between any development and the Country Park.  The site was a key wildlife corridor. Reference was made to the petition organised by the Friends of Melton Country Park backing a protection zone between the Country Park and any future development.  This petition would be formally presented to the Council at its next meeting on 19 July 2017.  Councillor Glancy questioned whether there would be any benefit to producing a supplementary planning document to guide the development of the SUE’s so that the Council could give a clear indication to developers about what was expected.  The Head of Regulatory Services gave assurances to the Member that this objective was being worked on but by a different route.

The Mayor then called for a vote on the motion which was carried.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)  the content of the Draft Melton Local Plan Addendum of Focused Changes (at Appendix 1) be approved;

(2)  the Addendum of Focused Changes and new evidence be published;

(3) the proposals for consultation and community engagement outlined in paragraphs 3.19 to 3.22 of this report be agreed;

(4)  consultations be undertaken on the Addendum and its associated supporting documents as soon as possible after this Council meeting, in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012;

(5)  delegated authority be granted to the Head of Regulatory Services to make any necessary changes required for clarification or typographical corrections to the text of the Addendum which do not change the overall sense or purpose of the document, prior to its publication.