Agenda item

(Report of the Director of Place and Sustainability. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement). The report sets out the draft Site Allocations Development Plan Document and seeks approval for public consultation.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement, which sought approval to go out to public consultation on the Site Allocations Plan Document from January to February 2014.

In introducing the report Councillor Ejiofor noted that the document set out the strategic vision and objectives that the Council would seek to achieve through its planning decisions in the forthcoming years. The sites allocations approach would help build consensus in the community and with stakeholders and would also provide a fair and objective legal basis for balancing competing priorities and promoting positive actions.

In conclusion Councillor Ejiofor reminded Members that the document would also be subject to a Public Examination led by a Planning Inspector.

In response to questions in relation to sites identified at Pinkham Way; the former Hornsey Depot site and; Finsbury Park, Cabinet was advised that there were no plans for waste facility on the Pinkham Way site. With regard to the Finsbury Park site and concerns expressed with regard to the boundary with the park itself Cabinet was advised that this would be reviewed to ensure that there was no encroachment on the boundary to the park.

It was noted that the Council wanted to see the best possible scheme achieved at the Hornsey Depot site and that problems experienced with the New River Village scheme would be raised with the developer. 

RESOLVED:

1. That the draft Site Allocations Development Plan be approved for public consultation (Regulation 18 consultation on the ‘subject matter’) as set out in Appendix A of the report; and

2. That the Cabinet  Member – Housing and Regeneration, in consultation with the Director of Place and Sustainability be authorised to amend Appendix A documents to improve presentation and content of the proposed ‘subject matter’ to aid public engagement.

Alternative options considered

The Site Allocations DPD is a key component of the Local Plan portfolio of Local Development Documents. It helps provide detail for potential development sites and deliver the key objectives of the Council’s adopted Local Plan Strategic Policies.

The alternative is to not prepare a Site Allocations DPD, and to rely instead on the London Plan and Local Plan Strategic Policies to provide the basis for making planning decisions on the development of sites brought forward by the market. In some cases, site development briefs or other non statutory guidance could be prepared for sites of particular interest. There would be no formal statutory basis for engaging stakeholders, and opportunities to combine infrastructure and development synergies will not be exploited.

Without the Site Allocations DPD, the Council’s ability to bring forward a co-ordinated planned development of significant sites in the borough to deliver the Council’s strategic policies and priorities for development including housing supply, employment, social, physical and environmental infrastructure will be weakened. Statutory planning through DPDs is necessary for a sound framework for planning applications decisions and land assembly.

The statutory planning process is founded on evidence, consensus building through consultation, plan appraisal and independent examination. These processes are prescribed under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the Local Planning Regulations 2012.

Reasons for decision

This document, when complete, will give certainty, further to the Local Plan: Strategic Policies DPD to developers, residents, and stakeholders regarding the scale, use and typology of development expected in key growth areas in the borough. It will also provide a planning basis for carrying out a range of actions to achieve the stated aims of the completed document and the Local Plan: Strategic Policies DPD.

The development of the Site Allocations DPD accords with Haringey’s Local Development Scheme which is a document that provides an index and programme of development plan documents under preparation.