Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the  Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services]

The Council has begun preparing a new Local Plan to replace the existing Plan adopted in 2017.  The new Plan will ensure that the Council continues to have a robust and fit-for-purpose framework for the future planning of our borough and will be used to determine planning applications once adopted. The new Plan will take into account changes to national planning policy, the new London Plan, the new Borough Plan priorities and will aid the borough’s recovery from COVID 19.  The Plan will also meet legal and policy requirements for the Council to have an up to date plan and 5 year Housing Land Supply.  Cabinet are being asked to approve a  “New Local Plan: First Step engagement” document for consultation. The document will set out the key issues and challenges for the future planning of the borough and related opportunities and options. It will be the first stage of  consultation and engagement on the New Local Plan and will seek the community’s views on how we should address key issues.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services introduced the report which proposed the first steps for engagement on a new Local Plan. It was outlined that, in November 2019, Cabinet had agreed an update to the Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS), setting out that a New Local Plan would be prepared by 2022 to replace the existing, multiple documents adopted in 2017. It was noted that the new Local Plan would take account of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and emerging London Plan, respond to the climate emergency, and support recovery following Covid-19.

It was explained that the first steps engagement document was included as Appendix A to the report. The engagement explained the borough, its neighbourhoods, challenges, and priorities; it asked open questions and sought views on new policy areas before the new Local Plan was drafted. The results of the engagement would feed into the drafting of the new Local Plan, a draft would be out for consultation in 2021, and the final version was due to be adopted in 2022. It was noted that an Integrated Impact Assessment Draft Scoping Report and a Communications and Engagement Plan were included as appendices to the report.

The Leader noted that the proposed consultation would be asking for views at this stage rather than comments on draft policies and this would allow the Local Plan to be built from the consultation feedback. It was noted that the Chair of the Regulatory Committee was present, and she was invited to comment. Cllr Williams thanked the Cabinet for accepting the addendum with comments from the Regulatory Committee. She welcomed the first steps engagement proposal and hoped that there would be widespread community engagement.

Cllr Williams noted that it would be important for the new Local Plan to ensure a significant proportion of family homes, defined as 3-beds or more, for those on the waiting list; this would provide stability for children in the borough which was essential. It was enquired how many family sized units were in the pipeline and whether the Council was due to meet its target for 45% of new Council homes to be 3-bed units. The Cabinet Member noted that one of the biggest challenges would be providing homes for those most in need and that this would be part of the Local Plan. The Assistant Director for Housing noted that early Council house building programme delivery had been skewed by acquisitions and that housing delivery had provided more 1-bed and 2-bed units than planned; the current forecast for 3-bed units was 25-30% but the Council was doing what it could through business planning to reach 45%. The Leader noted that this could be a target to review in 18 months’ time.

Cllr Williams asked to receive confirmation by email of exactly how many 3-bed units were in the pipeline to be delivered.

Cllr Cawley-Harrison asked what changes were proposed in response to the comments made by the Regulatory Committee and how the Cabinet  ...  view the full minutes text for item 320