Issue - meetings
National Planning Policy Framework Consultation and the implications for Cotswold District
Meeting: 05/09/2024 - Cabinet (Item 29)
PDF 122 KBPurpose
To advise Cabinet of the current NPPF consultation and agree proposals for submission of a consultation response on behalf of the Council.
Recommendations
That Cabinet resolves to:
1. Delegate the submission of the Council response to the Interim Forward Planning Lead in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services.
Additional documents:
Decision:
The purpose of the report was to advise Cabinet of the current NPPF consultation and agree proposals for submission of a consultation response on behalf of the Council.
The Chair noted the revised recommendation for this item which read as follows:
Agree to delegate the submission of the Council’s response to the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services (a delegated decision meeting has been scheduled for 12 September 2024 at 4pm).
The Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, Councillor Juliet Layton proposed the recommendations to Cabinet.
The Interim Forward Planning Lead addressed Cabinet and answered questions on the content of the report.
The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Juliet Layton and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet, AGREED as amended
1. To delegate the submission of the Council’s response to the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services (a delegated decision meeting has been scheduled for 12 September 2024 at 4pm.
Voting Record
5 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 3 Absent/Did not vote
Minutes:
The purpose of the report was to advise Cabinet of the current NPPF consultation and agree proposals for submission of a consultation response on behalf of the Council.
Before Cabinet heard the introduction to the report, the Chair noted the revised recommendation for this item which read as follows:
Agree to delegate the submission of the Council’s response to the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services (a delegated decision meeting has been scheduled for 12 September 2024 at 4pm).
The Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, Councillor Juliet Layton, proposed the revised recommendation to Cabinet.
· The response to the UK Government’s NPPF consultation was being prepared by officers from the Forward Planning Team, and the recommendation would then allow for a public individual Cabinet Member decision-meeting to approve the final consultation response.
· The short timeframe for officers to deliver a final draft response required the delegation to be made in order to ensure there was enough time to consider all of the consultation questions carefully.
· The report outlined the challenges facing the District from the current proposed changes to the NPPF.
· Whilst the Council was supportive of the need to build more affordable housing, it was noted that the updates to housing requirements would present challenges for the District where restricted areas like National Landscapes were prominent.
· It was highlighted that the Council should be in receipt of a response to the consultation from the UK Government by December 2024.
Cabinet asked whether the Cabinet could confirm that this was national consultation to all local authorities as opposed to the Council’s consultation on the Local Plan update. The Interim Forward Planning Lead highlighted that anyone was able to respond to the consultation with their views on the changes to the framework for determining planning applications.
Following a question regarding the separation of development management policies from the NPPF, it was highlighted that it was likely that National Development Management Policies would be created to standardise many of the development management policies currently within Local Plans.
The protection of National Landscapes was an important principle which needed to be maintained within the NPPF.
Cabinet welcomed the UK Government’s desire to increase in the number of social rented houses which was needed across the District, and the weighting on the expansion of infrastructure.
It was noted that the level of increase in the housing supply was significant and would require tough decisions in order to meet those requirements. It was also highlighted that the requirement of 70% of new housing to be in rural areas would be unsustainable, especially for communities where infrastructure was not as developed.
It was noted that the Council would need to work at pace in order to update its Local Plan to meet the requirements.
Cabinet thanked the Interim Forward Planning Lead for his hard work in the drafting of the responses for the Cotswolds.
The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Juliet Layton and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.