Agenda item

The Head of Regulatory Services to submit a report proposing next steps for the submission of the Local Plan for Examination, proposed modifications and proposals for delegation and reporting of the progress of the submission and subsequent Examination.

Members had before them a report prepared by the Head of Strategic Planning & Regulatory Services which outlined the remaining steps of the Local Plan preparation process, informed the Council about what the Council needs to do when it submitted the Local Plan for examination, and explained why delegated powers would be needed by officers to ensure that the Council can participate efficiently and effectively during the Examination.

The report was presented by Councillor Chandler who explained :

·         that the report covered the detailed practical arrangements for submission.  The period after submission and through the Examination was dynamic and Members needed to allow the Officers the freedom to be able to respond to issues as and when they arose.  In Examination, this could be as short as a couple of hours or overnight;

·         Members would need to be kept informed about progress and the issues raised, and the report also suggested how this could be done – through the Working Group, briefings and close liaison with Lead Members;

·         this was a seminal moment for the Plan.  The recommendation was that it now be submitted along with a series of suggested amendments that were set out in Appendix 1.  These were issues where it was believed that the Plan could be improved without affecting its fundamental objectives and design and the Inspector would be invited to consider these amendments as potential modifications.

Councillor Chandler then moved the recommendations contained in the report and this was seconded by Councillor Illingworth.

Before moving to the vote, the Deputy Leader stated it had been a long journey to reach this point and wished to place on record his thanks to Councillor Chandler for her considerable work on the Local Plan and the collaborative approach which had been taken by the Working Group.  He also expressed his thanks to the members of the public for submitting representations and taking part in the focus groups.  Thanks were given to the officers, in particular the Head of Strategic Planning & Regulatory Services (Jim Worley) and the Local Plan Manager (Valerie Adams) who had gone above and beyond the call of duty.  On behalf of all members he expressed the Council’s gratitude.

The vote on the recommendations was taken en bloc and unanimously carried.

RESOLVED: that

(1)       the contents of this report are noted; and

(2)       the Melton Local Plan Pre Submission, as amended by the changes outlined in the Addendum of Focused Changes, be agreed and submitted to the Government for Examination as soon as possible; and

(3)       authority be delegated to the Head of Strategic Planning & Regulatory Services to :

a)         complete all the documents required to fulfil the regulatory requirements at Local Plan submission, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning)(England) Regulations 2012 and to meet the best practice advice of the Planning Inspectorate and Planning Advisory Service; and

b)         agree actions and make decisions that are necessary during the Local Plan Examination to ensure that the Local Plan can be found sound and that any legal compliance issues are resolved; and

c)         if needed, provide an updated list of suggested minor modifications to the Inspector conducting the local plan examination; and. 

d)         correct any typographical, numbering and formatting errors in the local plan.

(4)       that Members be kept informed of any significant issues that the Council has to respond to and the response that has been made during the Examination on the Council’s behalf , with details to be agreed by the Melton Local Plan Working Group.