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Issue - meetings

COTSWOLD DISTRICT LOCAL PLAN REGULATION 18 PREFERRED OPTIONS CONSULTATION

 

 

Meeting: 06/11/2025 - Cabinet (Item 151)

151 Cotswold District Local Plan Regulation 18 - Preferred Options November 2025. pdf icon PDF 523 KB

Purpose:

To seek approval to include an addition to the consultation document for the Local Plan Regulation 18 consultation on Preferred Options for Development, and to amend the consultation dates.

 

Recommendation(s):

That Cabinet resolves to

1.    approve an addition to the consultation document for the Cotswold District Council Local Plan Review Regulation 18 Consultation Preferred Options (November 2025)

and

2.    commence a seven-week public consultation on this, starting on 14 November 2025 and finishing on 2 January 2026.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Councillor Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council introduced the item.

 

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Mike Evemy and seconded by Councillor Juliet Layton.

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet

1.    Approved an addition to the consultation document for the Cotswold District Council Local Plan Review Regulation 18 Consultation Preferred Options (November 2025); and

2.    Approved the commencement of a seven-week public consultation on the Cotswold District Council Local Plan Review Regulation 18 Consultation Preferred Options (November 2025), starting on 14 November 2025 and finishing on 2 January 2026.

 

Voting Record:

6 For,  0 Against, 0 Abstentions.

 

 

Minutes:

Councillor Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council introduced the item.

Councillor Layton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning outlined the purpose of reviewing and approving an updated version of the Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation document on preferred options for development, together with amended consultation dates. Councillor Layton commended officers for their rapid response to valuable feedback received from town and parish councils at recent engagement sessions, including the event in Moreton-in-Marsh the previous evening. The updates reflected suggestions from members, partners, and residents, as well as input from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to ensure the document was as robust and transparent as possible prior to publication.

 

Councillor Layton explained that the revised consultation document now set out not only the preferred development strategy and housing distribution up to 2043, but also the potential for further growth beyond that date. This change aimed to give residents full visibility of the long-term development potential of strategic sites and to enable early dialogue on the infrastructure, transport, education, and healthcare needs that such development would generate.

 

It was confirmed that, to allow time for these amendments, the start date for the consultation had been moved from 5 November to Friday 14 November, with the consultation period extended to seven weeks. While this adjustment might require some town and parish councils to meet during December, it was noted that further extensions were not possible due to the government’s fixed submission deadline of December 2026. The Local Plan timetable remained extremely tight to allow full consideration of consultation feedback before submission to the Planning Inspectorate.

 

Officers advised that the updated document incorporated a series of refinements and clarifications. These included:

  • Updated terminology explaining the meaning of the Regulation 18 consultation stage;
  • Adjusted consultation dates and narrative references throughout;
  • Clarification of how housing figures had been calculated, with new tables separating existing planning permissions, current plan allocations, and windfall assumptions for each settlement;
  • Revised presentation of strategic site data to distinguish development expected up to 2043 and potential delivery beyond;
  • Clarifications within the text and maps to make clear that figures and scenarios were indicative and subject to change;
  • Corrections to formatting, cross-referencing, and terminology for consistency and accuracy.

Officers further noted that visual materials had been improved, including maps and tables, to aid public understanding, and that Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) would be published alongside the consultation document. The updated draft was scheduled for publishing on 7 November 2025, with all feedback from members, scrutiny committees, and engagement events incorporated.

The Leader thanked Councillor Layton, officers, and the planning team for their diligence and responsiveness in preparing the updated consultation materials.

It was noted that delegated authority had previously been given to the Director of Communities and Place, in consultation with Councillor Layton, to make any minor amendments arising from members’ feedback.

 

Councillor Angus Jenkinson , Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee was invited to comment.

Councillor Jenkinson, addressed the Cabinet and planning officers. He thanked officers for responding seriously  ...  view the full minutes text for item 151

 

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