To consider the following recommendations made by Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party at the meeting held on 10th October:
I. the draft Action Plan is endorsed and taken forward to the timelines outlined;
II. the updated evidence and background papers are endorsed;
III. the consultation arrangements and communication Plan are endorsed;
IV. that delegated authority is given to the Acting Planning Policy Manager in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder to finalise the Action
Plan and consultation material and continue to respond to the Inspector’s questions during the Examination period and hearing(s)
Decision:
I. the draft Action Plan is endorsed and taken forward to the timelines outlined;
II. the updated evidence and background papers are endorsed;
III. the consultation arrangements and communication Plan are endorsed;
IV. that delegated authority is given to the Acting Planning Policy Manager in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder to finalise the Action
Plan and consultation material and continue to respond to the Inspector’s questions during the Examination period and hearing(s)
Minutes:
a. Cllr A Brown outlined the recommendation from the Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party to proceed with the public consultation. He noted that the emerging Local Plan had been in development since January 2015 and had taken considerable resources to reach this stage.
The consultation, if agreed to proceed, would allow the public and elected Members the opportunity to express their individual views with respect to the proposed additional sites, small growth villages, and updated gypsy and travellers’ policy following legislative changes.
Cllr A Brown recognised that views had been expressed suggesting the Council should challenge the Inspector and the government regarding changes to the transitional arrangements and the increased housing figures. He cautioned that three other Local Authorities who had recently paused their plans were now at risk of having their plans thrown out altogether. In the case of Elmbridge Borough Council, it was noted that the Local Authority was asked to provide an additional 6,300 homes, not dissimilar to the 70% increase asked of North Norfolk District Council. Elmbridge Borough Council subsequently requested a 12–15-month time extension to enable changes to be made. The Planning Inspector rejected this request and indicated the Local Plan would be cancelled should Elmbridge Borough Council proceed with this course of action, which the Borough Council was in the process of challenging. The Planning Inspector had made it clear that the Local Plan must be found sound at the examination stage with limited additional work to address soundness issues. Delays of six months or more would be considered unacceptable. Cllr A Brown stressed the risk to the Local Authority should the recommendation fall and affirmed that without a five-year housing land supply, North Norfolk would be at risk of speculative planning applications on sites which may be considered far less acceptable than those proposed within the Plan. Furthermore, the Local Plan process would need to be restarted, wasting nine years’ worth of work, and at the additional expense of £2.5 million.
b. The Chairman thanked current and former staff for their work in developing the emerging Local Plan. He recognised the many positive elements the emerging Plan would bring, including better development standards, meeting the Council’s climate resilience aspirations, and sustainable growth, amongst others.
The Chairman acknowledged concerns regarding the proposed increased scale of development and whether this could be realistically achieved in North Norfolk given local constraints owing to vast areas of protected landscape and infrastructure limitations. The Chairman confirmed that he would separately write to the Deputy Prime Minister on housing targets and the inability of Local Authorities nationwide to deliver increased housing growth.
The Chairman shared the concerns raised by Cllr A Brown with respect to the risks of not progressing with the Plan and agreed that it was important for the Local Authority to swiftly proceed with the proposed consultation. He confirmed that Members would not be precluded from submitting their own personal comments and sharing their concerns regarding site allocations within the consultation process. He expressed his own reservations for several of the proposed sites, specifically Clifton Park, which offered important ecological and biodiversity value, and the infrastructure limitations in Briston.
c. Cllr W Fredericks asked if additional sites could be brought forward as exception sites as opposed to allocated sites, as she considered exception sites better addressed local need for affordable housing.
d. Cllr L Shires stated that as Local Member for North Walsham, she was broadly supportive of housing growth in the town, specifically the development of affordable housing. She expressed her reservations for the newly proposed NW16 site allocation, which she considered would place additional pressure on existing infrastructure. Cllr L Shires agreed it was important to proceed with the consultation and welcomed residents submitting their comments through the correct channels.
e. Cllr J Toye noted the proposed changes and shared the hope that the Inspector would fully consider comments and concerns submitted. He agreed it was right to proceed with consultation and to work with the Inspector.
f. Cllr A Brown stated that it was a sobering statistic that between 2000 and 2024, just under 400 dwellings were built per annum. It was now expected that an additional 573 dwellings would need to be developed per annum to achieve government targets.
Cllr A Brown proposed, Cllr J Toye seconded.
RESOLVED
I.The draft Action Plan is endorsed and taken forward to the timelines outlined;
II. The updated evidence and background papers are endorsed;
III. The consultation arrangements and communication plan are endorsed;
IV. That delegated authority is given to the Acting Planning Policy Manager in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder to finalise the Action Plan and consultation material and continue to respond to the Inspector’s questions during the examination period and hearing(s)