The Group considered the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment on the pro formas to be used for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation.  It was noted that a separate pro forma would be used to assess sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation, but all pro formas would have the same criteria to ensure sites were assessed in a transparent and consistent manner.  The pro formas closely followed the protocol prepared by the Kent Planning Policy Forum for undertaking SHLAAs in Kent, but were tailored, where appropriate, to local circumstances.

The Chairman advised the Group that at a meeting he had attended the previous day with Officers and Parish Councillors representing rural service centres, it had been suggested that the impact on schools and transport should be included on the pro formas.  In this regard, the Officers explained that schools formed part of infrastructure assessments and the final conclusions for sites.  However, it was agreed that the pro formas could be strengthened in how they assessed transport by the inclusion of the following in a further bullet point in the Access (Highways) section:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network

The Group supported the adoption of the proposed criteria for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation subject to a review of the pro formas to ensure consistency across the documents and the inclusion of the following bullet point in the Access (Highways) section on all three pro formas:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET MEMBER FOR PLANNING, TRANSPORT AND DEVELOPMENT:  That the proposed criteria for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation, as set out in the pro formas attached at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment, be approved subject to a review of the pro formas to ensure consistency across the documents and the inclusion of the following bullet point in the Access (Highways) section on all three pro formas:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network