To receive a progress report on the current position of the Local Plan.
Minutes:
The Acting Chief Executive, D Macnab, provided the following Local Plan update in the absence of the Planning and Governance Portfolio Holder, Councillor J Philip, who had given his apologies for this meeting. This update was based on the Epping Forest District Local Plan Update (report LPC-003-2018/19), which would be made by the Interim Assistant Director (Planning Policy), A Blom-Cooper, at the Local Plan Cabinet Committee on 22 November 2018.
The Council had been delayed in submitting the Local Plan Submission Version for independent examination following a claim for judicial review in March 2018. When the claimant’s application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal was refused, the Local Plan Submission Version was submitted to the Secretary of State on 21 September 2018. Louise Phillips MA MSc MRTPI, the Inspector appointed to carry out the independent examination of the Local Plan, was currently appraising it and the representations submitted at the Regulation 19 stage. It was likely that the public hearing sessions would start in February 2019 at the Civic Offices. Any member of the public who had submitted comments would be able to attend. When confirmed, the hearing dates would be publicised on the Council’s website.
The revised Local Development Scheme (appended to the Local Plan Cabinet Committee agenda) set out an ambitious target of July 2019 for the receipt of (final) report, Regulation 25, and October 2019 for the expected adoption and publication, Regulation 26.
One of the tests of the Inspector would be to evaluate if the Council would be able to deliver the Local Plan. The Developer Forum was regularly liaising with the Planning Policy Team. The Implementation Team had been created in April 2018 following a Cabinet decision on 7 December 2017 when funding was agreed, but its final structure was currently under discussion. The Implementation Team was already working on the delivery of Local Planning allocation sites, including the Strategic Masterplan Areas and Concept Framework Areas. Over time as the Implementation Team moved Local Plan sites forward, it would become cost neutral by self-financing either from income from Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) or income related to the fees for processing planning applications.
Work on the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town project had progressed significantly during 2018. It was essential that a collaborative and co-ordinated approach was taken to development implementation to ensure successful delivery across the partnership. Agreement to establish a wider Garden Town Team and Joint Implementation Team had been reached in principle. An application for a £250,000 grant had been submitted to Central Government for the Garden Town programme, which was currently being appraised. There would be much work to facilitate 16,500 homes on the key strategic sites around Harlow, along the transport corridors, i.e. of the A414, and regeneration of Harlow town centre.
Councillor J H Whitehouse asked why the public hearing sessions would be held in the Committee Rooms. The Acting Chief Executive replied that the independent Programme Officer assisting the Inspector with all aspects of the examination, had reviewed the Chamber but decided the Committee Rooms were more suitable accommodation as they were on one level and more accessible. The public hearing sessions would be webcast in the interests of transparency.