Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr L Paterson, Cllr J Punchard, Cllr H Blathwayt and Cllr P Fisher.

None received.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of a meeting of the Working Party held on 18^th July 2024.

The Minutes of the Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party meeting held Thursday 18^th July were approved as a correct record.

To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

None.

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda.  The Code of Conduct for Members requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.  Members are requested to refer to the attached guidance and flowchart.

None.

APPENDIX 5 – Added 07.10.24

The Acting Planning Policy Manager introduced the Officer’s report and recommendations. Regarding the Action Plan (Appendix 2), the Acting Planning Policy Manager advised that this Plan sought to address the soundness issues raised by the Planning Inspector. Subject to Member endorsement, the Team intended to conduct a further six weeks of public consultation starting around the 6th of November. Following the proposed public consultation, additional hearings would be held with the Inspector, at which time all the main and additionally proposed modifications would be consolidated and subjected to sustainability appraisals and habitat regulations assessments.

The Acting Planning Policy Manager stressed that the Action Plan presented to the Committee was the minimum approach necessary. Further options had been considered, which were outlined in section four of the Officer’s report.

The Acting Planning Policy Manager provided the recent history behind the Local Plan and updated the Working Party on developments since the 18th of July meeting. He noted that in the Inspector’s July Letter (Appendix 1), the Inspector advised of three main soundness issues that needed to be addressed before the examination could proceed. These issues, detailed in 2.2 of the Officer’s report, included a shortfall in housing provision, a challenge to small growth village provision, and updates required to the Gypsy and Traveller evidence base to reflect a change in definition used by the Government in 2023.

Regarding the shortfall in overall dwellings, the Acting Planning Policy Manager advised that this was due to changes to the plan period, which had shifted at the Inspector’s request from 2016–2036 to 2024–2040. The Inspector had discounted those sites delivered in the intervening years and had further moved some of those sites back in the period due to concerns about when delivery might start. Planning permission had been granted for some of the sites included within the emerging Plan but would achieve fewer dwellings than had been allocated. Other sites had been deleted, including Weybourne Road, Sheringham (West Wood), which had been built. Critically, the Acting Planning Policy Manager advised that the Council’s argument regarding deviation from the Standard Methodology had been lost. As a consequence, the dwelling requirement per annum had increased from 480 dwellings per year to 557 dwellings per year.

In terms of small growth villages, the Acting Planning Policy Manager stated that the Inspector accepted that the approach taken was potentially sound. The Acting Planning Policy Manager noted that similar approaches were taken by neighboring authorities in Norfolk. However, the Inspector had concerns regarding the effectiveness of this approach in delivering growth and supporting the rural economy.

Regarding the Gypsy and Traveller policy, the Inspector considered the evidence supplied to be insufficiently up to date due to the change in definition. He requested the Council to commission a new study and identify more current data based on the revised 2023 definition.

The Acting Planning Policy Manager made it clear to the Working Party that there was only one opportunity to get the Plan sound and address the issues raised. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

The Acting Planning Policy Manager introduced the report, which was for information only.

The Acting Planning Policy Manager introduced report, which was for information only. A summary of the response to the public consultation was detailed within the agenda. The most consequential change related to a revised approach for housing growth, referred to by Cllr A Brown in the prior item.

             To pass the following resolution (if necessary):

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”