Agenda item

To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning. Report of the Assistant Director for Planning] This report seeks Cabinet approval on the draft revised Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) at appendix A for public consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration introduced the report which set out recommendations for agreeing a new Statement of Community Involvement. This was previously adopted in 2008 following public consultation and also updated in 2011 following an examination in public. The SCI now required updating to take into account new planning regulations and the Localism Act changes in 2012.

RESOLVED

To approve the annexed draft revised Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for an eight week public consultation from September to October 2015 to ensure that Haringey has an effective, flexible and up-to-date SCI pursuant to section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended).

Alternative Options considered

The Council could choose not to review the SCI. However, the Council is required to adopt an up-to-date SCI, pursuant to section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended), taking account of national, regional and local policy changes. 

Haringey’s draft Local Plan, which was consulted on during the spring 2015, will be assessed by a Planning Inspector at an Examination in Public against the Soundness Test set out in Paragraph 182 of the National Planning Policy Framework. The NPPF states that a local planning authority should submit a plan for examination which it considers is “sound” – namely that it is:

Positively prepared – the plan should be prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development;

Justified – the plan should be the most appropriate strategy, when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence;

Effective – the plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities; and

Consistent with national policy – the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework.

A justified Plan means one which is based on a robust and credible evidence base including evidence of participation of the local community and others having a stake in the area. The Haringey SCI provides the framework for assessing that the Local Plan is justified and therefore the Council needs to update its SCI to ensure the relevant practices and procedures for consultation and community participation are followed

A number of changes have been made since the adoption of the previous SCI including the adoption in July 2014 of a revised Planning Protocol to ensure the highest standards of probity in the performance of its planning function, new regulations introduced in the consolidated Development Management Procedure Order 2015 with revised consultation requirements, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Review of Community Engagement and the Council’s need to streamline and become more efficient which has led to a move to self-service and paperless systems.

Not updating the SCI to take account of these local changes means the Development Management service would not be able to make the necessary budget savings associated with reducing the level of neighbour consultation letters and providing a better and more efficient self service

Reasons for Decision

Section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004) requires local planning authorities to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). The SCI must set out how persons who appear to the authority to have an interest in matters relating to development in the area will be involved in the authority’s plan making and development management functions. Haringey’s SCI is out of date and therefore needs updating following a statutory consultation period.