Agenda item

The Council considered a report which sought approval to submit the Local Plan: Development Management Policies to the Secretary of State for Examination by an independent Planning Inspector.  The Submission Local Plan was the second part of Guildford’s Local Plan. Once adopted it would, together with the adopted Local Plan: Strategy and Sites document (LPSS), fully supersede the existing Local Plan 2003 and become part of the Council’s Development Plan. The Submission Local Plan provided the more detailed policies to be used by Development Management in the determination of planning applications.   The report noted that the LPSS included a small number of development management policies where these were necessary in implementing the strategic policies, for examples in relation to Green Belt, employment and retail.

The structure of the Submission Local Plan was consistent with that contained in the LPSS. The chapters therefore consisted of: Housing, Protecting, Economy, Design, and Infrastructure and Delivery.

A Regulation 18 consultation on ‘issues, options and preferred options’ had been carried out in June/July 2020. This was followed by a ‘Regulation 19 ‘proposed submission’ consultation in January/February 2022. All the responses to that consultation had been analysed and no ‘main modifications’ were considered necessary.

It was proposed that the Regulation 19 version of the Submission Local Plan would be submitted alongside another version containing minor corrections and suggested minor amendments as tracked changes to enable the Inspector to consider these as part of the Examination process.  In examining the plan, the Inspector would be requested to recommend any main modifications that were considered necessary to make the plan sound. This would be subject to further consultation.

This matter had been considered by both the Joint Executive Advisory Board (JEAB) at its meeting on 10 May 2022, and the Executive on 26 May 2022.  The JEAB’s comments had been summarised in an appendix to the report submitted to the Council.  The Executive had endorsed the recommendation in the report.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore proposed, and the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Julia McShane seconded the adoption of the following motion:

  (1)  That the Submission Local Plan: Development Management Policies, attached as Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Council, together with all relevant associated documentation referred to in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved for submission to the Secretary of State for the purpose of proceeding to and through the Examination in Public process.

(2)   That the Lead Councillor with portfolio responsibility for Strategic Planning be authorised, in consultation with the Strategic Services Director, to make such minor alterations to improve the clarity of the submission documents as they may deem necessary.

Following the debate on the motion, Councillor Susan Parker proposed, and Councillor Ramsey Nagaty seconded, the following amendment:

After “Appendix 2 to the report, be approved” in paragraph (1) of the motion, substitute the following in place of the remaining text and omit paragraph (2):

“..subject to a cross-party emergency committee revising the document to strengthen its requirements in relation to climate change.  This will be done prior to submission to the Inspector and will involve bringing this revised report back to the next Full Council. This will include:

·       Prohibition of gas boilers

·       Utilisation of BREEAM standards on all new domestic buildings

·       Protection for the environment across the borough

·       Water capture on all new buildings.”

If carried, the motion, as amended, would read as follows:

“That the Submission Local Plan: Development Management Policies, attached as Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Council, together with all relevant associated documentation referred to in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved, subject to a cross-party emergency committee revising the document to strengthen its requirements in relation to climate change.  This will be done prior to submission to the Inspector and will involve bringing this revised report back to the next Full Council. This will include:

·       Prohibition of gas boilers

·       Utilisation of BREEAM standards on all new domestic buildings

·       Protection for the environment across the borough

·       Water capture on all new buildings.”

Following the debate on the amendment, it was put to the vote, and it was lost.

Following the vote on the amendment, the original motion was then put to the vote and the Council

RESOLVED:

 (1)  That the Submission Local Plan: Development Management Policies, attached as Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Council, together with all relevant associated documentation referred to in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved for submission to the Secretary of State for the purpose of proceeding to and through the Examination in Public process.

(2)   That the Lead Councillor with portfolio responsibility for Strategic Planning be authorised, in consultation with the Strategic Services Director, to make such minor alterations to improve the clarity of the submission documents as they may deem necessary.

Reasons:

(1)    To enable the Submission Local Plan: Development Management Policies document to be submitted for Examination in Public in line with the adopted Local Development Scheme.

(2)    To enable an Inspector to test the plan in terms of its legal compliance and ‘soundness’ which will allow the Council to move a step closer to adopting an up-to-date second part of its Local Plan.