Agenda item

[Report of the Director for Planning, Regeneration, and Development. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning.] Following Haringey's Local Plan Documents Consultation carried out between February and March 2015, the Planning Policy Team are seeking approval from Cabinet to go to Examination in Public on the amended Local Plan Documents. The Cabinet papers will provide a summary of the responses received to the public consultation and an explanation of how and why the comments were or were not taken into account in the redrafting of the Local Plan Documents.

Due to the size of the Consultation Statements and Sustainability Appraisals  contained at appendices B,D, F , H, I a hard copy has been placed in the Members room at the Civic Centre, in  the borough’s  Libraries  and  the documents have been published with the agenda and can be viewed on the Council’s website at:

http://www.minutes.haringey.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?Cld=118&Mld=7300&Ver=4

The Cabinet Member for Planning introduced the report which set out progression of these 4 important planning documents: Alterations to Strategic Policies, Development Management DPD, Site Allocations DPD, and Tottenham Area Action Plan to the next stage of Plan preparation.

The Cabinet Member for Planning explained the role of each of these documents for the Council, and as the Local Planning Authority, to proactively manage development needs and change in the Borough, ensuring it is directed to where it is best accommodated and being able to resist inappropriate poorly located schemes. This included:

The Alterations to the Strategic Policies reiterated the Council’s commitment to delivering more housing to meet local needs but targeting this to areas that would benefit significantly from substantial inward investment including better transport services, improved environmental quality, and new jobs.

This spatial strategy allowed the Council to recognise and protect its valued local open spaces, the residential amenity and heritage that add to the character of our neighbourhoods, and making the best of employment sites for continued employment uses.

The role of all the other draft planning documents was to give effect to this agreed spatial strategy.

The Cabinet Member for Planning reported that, since the consultation period closed in March 2015, the Planning Policy team had sifted through some 600 letters and emails and 6 petitions containing over 6,000 comments.  The petitions included one for Lynton Rd with 126 signatures, one for Pinkham Way with 1154 signatures, and 4 separate petitions on Lordship Rec/ Broadwater Farm totalling 395 signatures). In addition officers had undertaken meetings and discussions with a range of interested parties on a range of subjects and sites.

The reports included in the agenda pack contained the updated Local Plan documents, along with the Consultation Reports with the comments received and responses to these.

The spatial strategy was updated to reflect Haringey’s increased housing target is contained at Appendix A on pages 119 to 214.

The “Development Management DPD” at Appendix C, included a “design charter” for all new development (page 223) and important policies to cover the protection of family homes (page 257), open spaces (Pages 264-269), shops (pages 304-312) and community facilities (Pages 314 -318).

The “Site Allocations DPD” (pages 351 to 573) included designations for key sites such as Alexandra Palace and the Highgate Bowl, and the opportunities in Wood Green, Hornsey and Green Lanes, which translated into allocations for some 7,500 new homes and 75,000m² of new employment floor-space.

Elsewhere within the “Tottenham Area Action Plan” at Appendix G contained detailed site by site development requirements covering the new opportunities in one of London’s Housing Zones – as well as reflecting the distinctive heritage, character and economy across Tottenham.

The Cabinet Member for Planning provided an overview of the tone and feeling regarding the consultation process on the last set of documents. There were a range of comments about the content and the way in which the Council had engaged with communities, members and developers as part of that process. In some cases communities felt that the Council had not engaged with them effectively.  In a number of cases, feedback suggested that some of the bold allocations that were promoted should not be progressed. The changes to the plan, set out on pages 7-50 of the report pack illustrated how, having regard to local views, the Council had responded.

The Cabinet Member for Planning felt that, taking forward the learning from feedback received about the consultation and engagement processes, the Council were committed to also trying harder to reach out and secure views from more of the community on the “soundness” of these proposals and improving the readability of these documents. The Cabinet Member for Planning had recently hosted a community forum to discuss our Statement of Community Involvement on 14^th September. There would be a continuing programme of engagement around these documents to help answer some of the earlier criticisms associated with the earlier round of consultation last spring.

The Cabinet Member for Planning linked the Corporate Plan ambitions for better homes for everyone, new jobs and improved opportunity for all, a safer and a healthier borough being reflected in an updated Local Plan. He indicated that the document had  an important part to play in realising that ambition – by helping the council  plan for infrastructure, seizing opportunities from development to secure positive economic and housing outcomes or by protecting and preserving important spaces, building s and places. Despite the challenges of accommodating London’s Growth, The Cabinet Member for Planning advocated that the Plan meets the objectives for growth, employment and Housing –and the 4 appendices attached should now proceed to Full Council for approval.

In response to the Cabinet Member for Resources and Culture’s question on management of the tension in supporting economic as well as Housing growth in Haringey, it was noted that local authorities were facing big challenges to deliver employment and housing and were looking at ways in which sites can have both housing and employment use. Brownfield land in the borough was limited and choices were required to be made regarding how the borough best use the land available. The Council had further  endeavoured to safeguard employment  land and  the Brownfield site at Pinkham way

The Leader referred to the recently approved Growth Strategy of the Council which would not limit the Council to dormitory businesses but put forward a new approach for how employment sites may exist in the borough, attracting local jobs and locations allowing access to higher skills.

The Council would not automatically favour residential sites to employment sites as this was short sighted as employment was a key component of growth.

RESOLVED

To note the comments of the Regulatory Committee at Paragraph at 6.7; and

To note the comments received to consultation on the preferred option draft Local Plan documents (the draft Schedule of Alterations to the Strategic Policies DPD; the draft Development Management Policies DPD; the draft Site Allocations DPD; and the draft Tottenham Area Action Plan DPD) and the Council’s proposed response to these as set out in the Consultation Statements at Appendices B, D, F and H respectively of this report.

That Cabinet  recommend to Full Council that it approve the following:

                     I.        The Schedule of Alterations to Haringey’s Local Plan: Strategic Policies: Pre-submission version;

                    II.        The draft Development Management DPD: Pre-submission version;

                   III.        The draft Site Allocations DPD: Pre-submission version; and

                  IV.        The draft Tottenham Area Action Plan: Pre-submission version

(attached at Appendices A, C, E and G respectively), for publication and submission to the Secretary of State for independent Examination in Public.

Alternative options considered

The Council could choose not to review the Local Plan: Strategic Policies, which was only adopted in March 2013. However, since that date, further alterations have been made to the London Plan which significantly increases Haringey’s strategic housing requirement. As a result, the Council’s current spatial strategy for the borough makes insufficient provision to manage this new level of growth. As the new regional policy is adopted and forms part of the Borough Local Plan, the fact that Haringey’s spatial strategic is not up-to-date will not prevent development coming forward to meet and exceed the new housing target. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) clearly states, at paragraph 14, that where the development plan is absent, silent or relevant policies are out-of-date, the Council will grant proposals permission unless material considerations indicate otherwise, or the development does not accord with the NPPF.

The NPPF and evidence underpinning the further alternations to the London Plan, and to the Local plan also, demonstrate a need to revisit the housing assumptions within the Strategic Policies DPD (2013), especially if the other supporting local plan documents are to be progressed further. Not undertaking the alterations would render a number of the existing Strategic Policies out-of-date, and significantly compromise the ability of the Council, as the Local Planning Authority, to make planning decisions based on local strategic circumstances. Accordingly, not reviewing the document is not a viable alternative.

The Development Management DPD, the Sites Allocations DPD, and the Tottenham AAP, will significantly improve the Council’s ability to manage and promote high quality sustainable development (and resist unsustainable development) across the borough, so not producing these documents is not considered to be an appropriate or viable alternative.

For the four development plan documents, the current stage of plan-preparation represents a formal statutory stage in line with previously agreed programme of work contained with the Local Development Scheme. The Council has therefore determined that it wishes to prepare these Development Plan Documents. The Development Plan Documents have been prepared in accordance with the relevant planning regulations.

Reasons for decision

These four planning policy documents are to form part of Haringey’s Local Plan. Without them it will be challenging for the Council to deliver the borough wide aspirations and corporate objectives we have to manage change and growth for the benefit of existing and future residents and businesses. It would also become increasingly challenging to influence and determine development proposals which fail to deliver sustainable development outcomes in Haringey. These local plan document will be more up to date and consistent with the London Plan 2015 and the National Planning Policy Framework than the current version of the Local Plan: Strategic Policies (2013) and Haringey’s saved UDP polices.

Publication and the submission of the Local Plan documents to the Secretary of State for Examination in Public is a statutory requirement in the process of preparing and adopting the Local Plan. It is equally important that the Council give consideration to the comments received and show how these have been taken into account and, where appropriate and justifiable, addressed through changes to the documents.

This will enable the pre-submission versions of the four documents to be reported to Full Council for its consideration and approval, in accordance with the timetable set out in the Council’s adopted Local Development Scheme.