1.       CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

1.      INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1     At the 10^th March 2020 meeting of this committee, Members resolved that officers provide a short-written update at each meeting of this committee, concerning any slippage and/or progress on delivering the plan on the timescale agreed. This report provides the requested update.

1.2     In addition, this report contains a proposed Elected Member Engagement Protocol. The protocol sets out the ways in which Members can be involved and briefed on emerging proposals in the run up to the public consultation on the Local Plan Review that is scheduled to commence in October 2020, subject to agreement of Members to a preferred spatial strategy.

Local Plan Review Update

1.3     The consultation in October 2020 will seek to set out the main components of future growth associated with the Local Plan Review, including growth in housing, employment and retail and where this would occur. It will also consider the main matters that impact on that growth, including transport and other forms of infrastructure as well as environmental designations. It will seek to include a preferred spatial approach to accommodating the growth, along with ‘reasonable alternatives’ that have been tested, as required by government guidance. Associated evidence that has informed and will be used to support these matters will also be presented.

1.4     As part of this process, it will be apparent which of the assessed sites are most likely to be in a position to contribute to the overall preferred approach. However, there will still be a significant amount of work required to finalise the preferred strategy as the Local Plan Review moves toward draft Plan document stage, and detailed discussions with infrastructure providers will be one of the factors that play a vital role in this regard.

1.5     In preparation for this and future Local Plan Review outputs a number of work streams are of note:

·         Topic Papers dealing with the levels and components of growth set out in paragraph 1.3 and the matters that impact on that growth are being drafted to provide evidence for the approaches. The topic papers consider a significant number of factors that influence the approaches, including legislation and government guidance, assessments of need and approaches taking in key strategies, such as the Council’s Strategic Plan (2019-2045). They will therefore also summarise and justify the preferred approaches and reasonable alternatives

·         Analysis of supply of sites, including the call for sites exercise submissions and current and future land supply, is ongoing. This will lead to the creation of a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment

·         First stage transport modelling has commenced to identify the potential impacts of growth on the highway network and the potential level of mitigation that will need to be considered

·         An iterative process of sustainability appraisal of the levels and components of growth is ongoing by specialist consultants.

·         Consultants have been appointed to undertake a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment to understand the constraints that flood risk would have on new development and the overall implications that new development may have in this regard

·         Consultants have been appointed to undertake a two-stage process of assessing submissions for potential garden communities, with the first stage having been undertaken and the second stage now underway

Elected Member Engagement Protocol

1.6     Several the above workstreams will feed into the process of creating a series of documents that are scheduled to be published in October 2020 for public consultation. This includes a Local Plan Review Preferred Approaches Paper that sets out the above information and the matters that influence all approaches set out therein, evidence of the sites and garden communities that may contribute to the future spatial strategy, and initial findings from transport modelling and sustainability appraisal.

1.7     Given the nature of this public consultation and the scale and complexity of the work involved, it is proposed to undertake a series of Elected Member engagement exercises over the summer period. The purpose of the engagement exercises will be to ensure that Members have the opportunity to be involved and briefed on emerging proposals and supporting evidence, per the summary set out in paragraph 1.3, in the run up to the public consultation exercise. The overall anticipated timetable is as follows:

·         Briefing of Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee Chair and Vice-Chair – 3^rd week in July 2020

·         Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee Workshop – 1^st week in August 2020

·         All-Member session – 2^nd week in August

·         Further Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Workshop – 1^st week in September 2020

·         (Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee meeting – 6^th October 2020)

1.8     Despite the tight timeline, it is hoped that these proposals will provide Members with adequate opportunities to engage in the emerging proposals and supporting evidence, per the summary set out in paragraph 1.3 prior to the 6^th October 2020 Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee meeting and the scheduled public consultation that is due to commence later in that month. It is anticipated that the public consultation will take place from Friday 30^th October 2020 and finish 6 weeks later on Sunday 13^th December 2020.

2             AVAILABLE OPTIONS

2.1     Committee is being asked to note the content of this report in terms of progress in assembling the  evidence base for the Local Plan Review and to agree the proposals for an Elected Member Engagement Protocol in the run-up to the public consultation on the preferred spatial options for development component of the Local Plan Review that is scheduled to commence in October 2020

2.2     Alternatively, Members may choose to reject or revise the Elected Member Engagement Protocol. However, to follow this option, Members should be mindful of the tight timescales leading towards the October consultation and the need to ensure Members are aware of the emerging proposals.

3.       PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1  It is recommended that Members note the content of this report and agree the proposals for and Elected Member Engagement Protocol in the run-up to the public consultation on the Local Plan Review that is scheduled to commence in October 2020. The options afford Members the opportunity to engage in the process prior to Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee on 6^th October 2020 whilst seeking to ensure that the Local Plan Review proceeds in accordance with the timetable contained in the published Local Development Scheme.

4.       RISK

4.1    This report itself has no specific risk management implications and the risks associated with the Local Plan Review programme are contained within a strategic risk assessment. The Elected Member Engagement Protocol allows for involvement of Members in the run-up to public consultation that is scheduled for October 2020, keeping within the timescales contained within the published Local Development Scheme timetable.